Chronic wasting disease webinars set for Oct.13 and Oct. 16
AgriLife Extension, Texas Wildlife Association to collaborate
Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. John Tomecek, 325-653-4576, tomecek@tamu.edu
SAN ANGELO – Chronic wasting disease will be the topic of a free two-part educational webinar series for deer hunters set from noon to 1 p.m. on Oct. 13 and Oct. 16.
The webinars are a collaborative effort of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas Wildlife Association. Dr. John Tomecek, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist at San Angelo and that agency’s lead educational contact on the disease, will conduct both webinars.
The online webinars can be accessed at www.https://texas-wildlife.webex.com.
Condensed archived versions will be available on the Texas Wildlife Association website following each webinar at: www.texas-wildlife.org. The WebEx platform used for the presentations does not support handheld devices.
Condensed archived versions will be available on the Texas Wildlife Association website following each webinar at: www.texas-wildlife.org. The WebEx platform used for the presentations does not support handheld devices.
“By now, most Texans, especially the hunting public, have at least heard of this disease,” Tomecek said. “It was first discovered in Colorado in the 1960s. It affects the nervous systems of white-tailed and mule deer, elk, moose and red deer. And as the name implies, results in a chronic wasting away and eventual death of the infected animal. There is no known cure.”
Tomecek said the disease was found for the first time in a white-tailed deer in Texas in Medina County last July, causing great concern among wildlife professionals and enthusiasts.
“The disease is not known to affect any other type of animal, and there is no indication that it has infected deer outside the closed, high-fenced facilities in Medina County or in Lavaca County, where some of the Medina deer were transported prior to the positive diagnosis.”
The webinars are meant to educate hunters about the disease, its history, symptoms and transmission, as well as to inform the hunting public on how they can participate in monitoring efforts and to remind them of safe carcass handling practices.
“Hunters are the critical part of the monitoring and managing equation,” Tomecek said. “They can submit tissue samples from harvested deer and maintain healthy deer densities as wildlife managers have done for years. Knowing what’s going on in the countryside is the best way to prevent the spread of this disease should it crop up in wild white-tailed deer populations.”
Tomecek said much has been done to address the concerns and needs of landowners, but now is the time to solicit help from the thousands of hunters preparing to head afield for the upcoming of rifle season for deer.
For more information, contact Tomecek at 325-653-4576, tomecek@tamu.edu or the Texas
Wildlife Association’s Clint Faas at 979-541-9803, cfaas@texas-wildlife.org .
If you're interested in this program, but don't have a way to view the webinar, please let me know: jzansley@ag.tamu.edu
