Cow Elk in Casper Region Tests Positive for Chronic Wasting Disease

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has confirmed the presence of chronic wasting disease in Elk Hunt Area 122 -- which is in the Casper Region, bordered by three areas where the disease has been previously detected.

The disease was detected in a hunter-harvested cow elk in early November.

CWD was detected to the north in Hunt Area 129 in 2021 and to the south in Hunt Areas 19 and 7 in 2008 and 2001, respectively.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends hunters do not consume any animal that is obviously ill or tests positive for CWD.

A map of CWD endemic areas is available on the Game and Fish website. The disease is 100% fatal to deer, elk and moose that have been infected. In 2022, Game and Fish personnel tested 6,701 CWD lymph node samples from deer, elk and moose — primarily submitted by hunters.

What is Chronic Wasting Disease?

CWD is a wildlife disease that affects elk and deer. While the origins are unknown, it was first discovered in a Rocky Mountain National Park herd in 1981.

An abnormal protein called a prion, infects the animal's nervous system causing behavioral and physical changes, brain deterioration, and ultimately death. Right now there is no cure or immunity, and the disease is 100% fatal.