{"id":936942,"date":"2026-10-17T22:58:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T22:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/936942\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T22:58:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T22:58:08","slug":"sask-wildlife-groups-and-hunters-sound-alarm-over-end-of-cwd-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/936942\/","title":{"rendered":"Sask. wildlife groups and hunters sound alarm over end of CWD testing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some hunters in Saskatchewan say the were blindsided by the province\u2019s decision to end a program that tests for chronic wasting disease<\/a> (CWD) in deer and other similar animals.<\/p>\n

A bulletin on the province\u2019s website says the program is to be eliminated at the end of this month.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n

Darrell Crabbe, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation<\/a> (SWF), said he was informed of the decision earlier this week and that it caught him off guard.<\/p>\n

In a news release on Oct. 16, the federation called for the immediate reinstatement of the program, saying, the decision removes an important tool for monitoring a disease that continues to threaten Saskatchewan\u2019s wildlife<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHunters have spent years submitting samples and supporting efforts to better understand CWD,\u201d Crabbe said in the release.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnding this program undermines that work and leaves hunters with fewer resources to make informed decisions about the animals they harvest.\u201d<\/p>\n

The province said it\u2019s ending the program because uptake from hunters has been low. Chronic wasting disease affects the brains and nervous systems of cervids, such as deer, elk and moose.<\/p>\n

Health Canada said there\u2019s been no reported cases of the disease in humans, but it recommends people don\u2019t eat meat from animals known to be infected.<\/p>\n

According to the federation, CWD was first detected in Saskatchewan in a farmed elk in 1996 and in wild deer in 2000.<\/p>\n

Saskatchewan became the first province to detect the disease in wild deer. Neighbouring Alberta and Manitoba also operate surveillance programs to monitor the disease and guide their response.<\/p>\n

The SWF said it is particularly concerned that provincial funding for laboratory testing of eligible game-farmed animals continues while the surveillance program serving hunters and wild cervid populations is being discontinued.<\/p>\n

According to SWF figures, the provincial wildlife testing program costs approximately $450,000 annually, with more than $300,000 coming from the Fish and Wildlife Development Fund (FWDF), which receives a portion of hunting and angling licence revenues.<\/p>\n

Hunters and anglers generate approximately $15 million annually through licence sales with approximately $10 million directed to general revenue, the SWF says, and it questions why a program supported substantially by licence-funded conservation dollars is being eliminated.<\/p>\n

\u201cHunters and anglers already contribute millions of dollars each year through their licence purchases,\u201d said Crabbe.<\/p>\n

\u201cContinuing to invest a portion of those dollars in CWD testing is a reasonable expectation. Saskatchewan\u2019s wildlife deserves sustained attention, and hunters deserve access to a program they help fund.\u201d<\/p>\n

Testing provides information about where CWD occurs and how its prevalence changes over time. Ending surveillance will reduce the information available to hunters, researchers and wildlife managers working to understand and respond to the disease, the federation said.<\/p>\n

The SWF added that anyone concerned about Saskatchewan\u2019s wildlife should contact their local MLA, express their disappointment and call for reinstatement of the provincial CWD testing program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government needs to hear directly from the people affected by this decision,\u201d said Crabbe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe urge hunters to make their voices heard and ask their MLA to support restoring this essential program.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don Gordon, the president of the Saskatchewan Trappers Association, said the move is a step backward. He said he could see it result in less hunting, because hunters might not want to eat untested meat.<\/p>\n

Gordon also said he worries about people wasting carcasses, which could result in the disease spreading quickly.<\/p>\n

He said having the ability to test for the disease provided reassurance for both hunters and trappers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe testing for the individual that turned in the animals gave them the security that the animal was negative testing. The biggest thing \u2026 was the animals that were turned in from the various areas. They could show how the disease has spread throughout the province and what species were affected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gordon said that without access to testing, hunters and trappers could unknowingly spread the disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe science has proven that by redistributing a carcass that is positive can create a new positive area, and that\u2019s the information that we\u2019ve been told.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrappers are restricted in how far they can even take a roadkill animal \u2014 a distance of no more than 80 kilometres from where it was found \u2014 primarily because roadkill animals show a high prevalence of having CWD,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u2014 with files from CJME News<\/p>\n

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