Chronic wasting disease was recently found in a white-tailed doe that was killed within the city limits of Libby. Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials collected the doe after residents reported seeing a very emaciated and sick-looking deer.
Initial test results were positive for CWD. This is the first time CWD has been detected in the wild, west of the Continental Divide in Montana.
An incident command team will respond and define an Initial Response Area around where the infected animal was collected, within a roughly 10-mile radius of the collection site. In addition, FWP will collect samples from road-killed deer in hunting districts 100, 101, 103 and 104.
Residents of Libby area who see a deer that appears to be sick are asked to call (406) 291-6539 and leave a message, including name, number, location of the animal and the time it was seen.
CWD is a progressive, slow-moving disease. Left unmanaged, it could result in long-term population declines within affected herds. All the states and provinces that border Montana, other than Idaho and British Columbia, have found CWD in their wild cervids.
CWD was first found in wild deer in Montana in October 2017. To date, it has been detected in Carbon, Liberty, Hill, Blaine, Phillips, Valley, Daniels, Sheridan and now Lincoln counties.
To prevent the spread of the disease, FWP establishes CWD Management Zones in areas where CWD has been found. Whole carcass, whole head or spinal column from any deer, elk, or moose harvested cannot be removed from these zones unless the animal has tested negative for CWD.
For more information about CWD in Montana, click here.