Due in part to changes in the state of Wisconsin’s electronic registering system, the state’s Department of Natural Resources tested fewer deer in 2015 for chronic wasting disease, despite the rise in deer testing positive for the disease.
Last year’s tests revealed that more than 9 percent of the deer sampled tested positive for CWD, but the state tested 2,300 fewer deer than in 2014.
“This was really a pilot year for us to learn what techniques we need to employ going forward to do our CWD sampling in this new registration environment,” DNR Wildlife Management Bureau director Tom Hauge told WPR.
Democratic state Reps. Chris Danou and Nick Milroy are not impressed by the department’s efforts to contain the disease and both have since drafted a letter to Gov. Scott Walker addressing their concerns.
“We wanted (the DNR) to take a hard look at what they are doing and see if there are things we can do to address both the actual spread of the disease across the state, and the prevalence levels,” said Danou Thursday on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Central Time.”
Speaking with reporters last week, Gov. Walker stated that he and the state of Wisconsin will remain vigilant in the fight against chronic wasting disease.
“We’re ready and willing to hear their recommendations. They made a call to be more aggressive, but they didn’t give us specifics. If they’ve got specific ideas, we’d be more than happy to work with them or anybody else,” Walker told reporters.
The opposing lawmakers are calling on Walker to look into the successful models employed by other effected states and expressed their intention of keeping this matter one of a bi-partisan nature.
