Warren County hunting preserve quarantined after CWD found; new management area coming

A Northwestern Pennsylvania hunting preserve is being quarantined for five years after a white-tailed deer there was found to have chronic wasting disease, according to state officials.

Officials said Wednesday they plan to create a new chronic wasting disease management area there. The boundaries of the area will be announced in the coming weeks.

The remaining deer at the Warren County hunting preserve were euthanized and none tested positive for CWD, according to officials from the game commission and department of agriculture.

CWD is a contagious disease that can spread among deer and elk. It affects the brain, nervous system and lymphoid tissues and is always fatal. It is spread from animal-to-animal through saliva, blood, urine and feces. The state Game Commission’s board last year approved a plan that focuses on prevention, management and surveillance of CWD in wild deer, not captive herds.

State Veterinarian Kevin Brightbill said other businesses whose deer may have been exposed could also face quarantines, including some in New York, which is just over the border from Warren County.

“Pennsylvania has taken CWD very seriously, taking aggressive steps to contain the disease, using a scientific, fact-based approach,” he said.

There are 760 deer farms statewide that provide space for breeding, hunting and hobbyists. Those farms provide animals and byproducts around the country, according to state officials.

Disease management areas have been in place in Pennsylvania since 2012 when CWD was first found. Those zones include parts of Westmoreland, Indiana, Armstrong and Somerset counties. Under the plan approved last year, hunters will be able to use permits to help meet sampling goals in an enhanced surveillance area in central Pennsylvania.

State officials did not identify the hunting preserve.