QUÉBEC, Sept. 13, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - The ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP) maintains the enhanced surveillance of chronic wasting disease in the area surrounding the farm in the Laurentides where cases were detected in 2018. Regulations regarding mandatory sampling and the transportation of some parts of cervids remain in effect in some areas of the Laurentides, Outaouais and Montérégie regions (see map below for CWD measures application areas). However, there is a change to the game registration process.
New for white-tailed deer registration
In 2022, any hunter who kills a white-tailed deer (adult or fawn) within 45 km of the farm where CWD was detected in 2018 is required to register it at one of the designated registration stations within that radius. The contact information and hours of operation for these stations are available on the page List of registration stations [in French only] 
. Therefore, online registration of this game is no longer allowed.
Mandatory sampling
A hunter who harvests a white-tailed deer or a moose aged over 12 months in the 45 km radius must still have the game tested for this disease. The person must go to one of the designated registration stations within the 45 km radius in order for MFFP staff to collect the required samples.
Elsewhere in Québec, the MFFP will carry out analyses on harvested white-tailed deer through a partnership with some butcher shops.
Analysis results will be available online at Québec.ca/cervidsdisease.
Transportation restrictions of some anatomical parts of cervids
Some parts (including the head and the spine) of white-tailed deer, moose or farmed cervids harvested less than 45 km away from where CWD was detected in 2018 must not leave the area delineated by this radius. Those parts must even stay within the hunting zone in which the animal was harvested. Thus, registration, butchering and taxidermy should always be done within the 45 km radius and the hunting zone in which the animal was harvested. The purpose of these transportation restrictions is to avoid the spread of the disease to other regions of Québec if it is found in the wild.
Antlerless deer hunting licences usable in some parts of hunting zones 9 west and 10 east
In order to be able to test enough animals and thus maintain adequate surveillance of the disease in the vicinity of the location where CWD cases were detected in 2018, special licences for antlerless deer were allocated for the enhanced surveillance area (ESA). Those licences are not valid for the entire hunting zone, but only in the part included in the ESA (9 west-ESA or 10 east-ESA). This measure also helps maintain low densities of deer and thus reduce contact between wild animals. If an infected animal is in the natural environment, the spread of the disease will be limited.
Since antlerless deer hunting licences were also allocated for parts of the hunting zones 9 west and 10 east that are outside of the ESA, it is important to use the special licence only in the part of the zone where it applies.
2021 CWD surveillance report
The CWD surveillance efforts conducted in 2021 in the ESA have achieved the Department's intended objectives. Through the collaboration of hunters, 577 white-tailed deer and 22 moose were tested in this area. No positive cases were detected. These results are encouraging and indicate that if the disease is present in wildlife, very few animals are affected, and the disease can still be eliminated.
Elsewhere in Québec, 3,793 white-tailed deer and 15 moose were analyzed, thanks to the participation of some 60 butchers. All were also negative.
For more information, refer to the 2021 CWD surveillance and control operations report .
Finally, the MFFP invites hunting enthusiasts to practise their activity in a responsible manner and in accordance with safety rules and regulations. It also reiterates that the owner's authorization is required to hunt on private land.
Highlights:
- CWD is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system that is always lethal for the infected animal. It affects cervids, including white-tailed deer and moose, the main species of big game hunted in Québec.
- Actively involved in the fight against this disease, the Gouvernement du Québec has established a network to monitor animals in the wild. No CWD cases have been detected yet in analyzed wild cervids.
- To this day, CWD is not considered a transmissible disease to humans. However, Health Canada recommends not to consume or use the tissues of an infected animal.
Related links:
- Learn more on CWD surveillance and control operations .
- To know the periods and rules for white-tailed deer hunting, as well as restrictions on the transportation of carcass parts, visit the webpage on white-tailed deer hunting.
For information on the Department and to learn more about its activities and achievements, visit mffp.gouv.qc.ca and social media:
https://www.facebook.com/ForetsFauneParcs
https://twitter.com/MFFP_Quebec
Information:
Media relations
Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs
medias@mern-mffp.gouv.qc.ca
Telephone: 418-521-3875
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