One thing can be certain about the state of Kentucky, they’re proud of their whitetails and their squeaky clean chronic wasting disease (CWD) record. As it stands, no deer or elk harvested or occurring otherwise in Kentucky has ever tested positive for the fatal disease.
Having inspected over tens of thousands of deer over the course of the last two decades, the department is hell-bent on treating the disease with next-level seriousness.
“Over the past two decades, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife has tested more than 40,000 deer and elk in Kentucky for CWD as part of its efforts to prevent the spread and introduction of this disease into the commonwealth,” Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Rich Storm said.
“For years, we’ve informed the public about the threat posed by CWD in our hunting guides, press releases, magazine and television shows, websites, town hall meetings and social media. The information is out there for hunters.”
For the first time in history, the state wildlife agency has filed a lawsuit against a hunter who imported a cwd-infected deer from Wisconsin. Looking to recoup civil damages stemming from an incident involving Nicholas J. Behringer, 47, of Louisville.
Following a hunt in Wisconsin, Behringer checked in his 8-point buck in accordance with Wisconsin’s laws. Looking to keep himself a permanent reminder of the hunt, he then brought the head of the animal into a taxidermist in Kentucky. In doing so, the Louisville man was in direct violation of Kentucky’s prohibition on the importation of deer carcasses or high-risk parts that might contain infectious tissue.
Containing lymph nodes, spinal column and brain tissue, heads and other parts of carcasses can harbor CWD. The only parts that can be imported from out-of-state are de-boned meat, antlers, clean skull caps and hides of animals of which all high-risk tissues have been removed.
Behringer was cooperative throughout the entire process and even though the head was frozen for safety reasons, officers were forced to incinerate the skull following the investigation.
“Our staff’s effective work on this case demonstrates the department’s commitment to protecting Kentucky’s wildlife,” Storm added. “Monitoring for disease threats and enforcing the laws designed to preserve the health of wildlife go hand-in-hand.”
In his closing statement in what is a historical move by a state wildlife agency, his sentiment was echoed by Wildlife Division Director Ben Robinson.
“The disease has been documented in every surrounding state except Indiana,” Robinson said, “so we want to keep it from spreading to Kentucky’s deer and elk herds.”
