October 28, 2004
Thursday

The Alaska state veterinarian is banning the importation of whole carcasses and certain carcass parts including heads and any portion of the spinal column from cervidae including mule deer, white-tailed deer, black-tailed deer, and elk, and other species that may become susceptible to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The move is being taken to prevent the transmission of the disease into Alaska and to protect the agricultural and wildlife resources of the state.

"A moratorium on the importation of live cervids into Alaska has been in place since April of 2003 to prevent the introduction of infected animals into the state," said State Veterinarian Bob Gerlach of the Department of Environmental Conservation's division of environmental health. "Many big game hunters harvest animals and transport the edible meat and certain parts of the carcasses as trophies back to their home state. Recent scientific studies have shown that carcasses of infected cervids are also capable of spreading the disease."

Allowable importation into Alaska of carcass parts from such species is restricted to:

• De-boned meat (cut and wrapped commercially or privately)
• Quarters or other meat portions with no portion of the spinal column (including dorsal root ganglion) or head attached
• Processed meat (cut and wrapped commercially or privately)
• Hides with no head attached
• Clean and disinfected skull plates
• Antlers with no meat or tissue attached
• Clean and disinfected whole skull (European mount)--no meat or nervous tissue (brain, cranial nerves) attached
• Teeth (Upper canine teeth-buglers, whistlers or ivories)
• Taxidermy mounts or trophies
  

Source of News:

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Web Site

 

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