CWD Testing in Ontario

There is no evidence to date that Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) exists in deer, elk, moose or woodland caribou populations in Ontario. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency monitor deer and elk. Testing in the wild, on farms and in zoos increases the chance of detecting CWD if it is present.

Ontario began testing wild deer for CWD in 2002 and implemented a CWD surveillance program for deer in the fall of 2003. In addition, all dead elk recovered from the wild are tested for CWD. Testing is done by using a microscope to examine the brain or lymph nodes of a recently dead animal. To date there is no practical way to test a live animal for CWD, but research is ongoing.

Locations for testing hunter-killed Ontario deer are chosen annually, based upon known factors such as deer populations, density of deer and elk farms in the area, habitat and land use, winter feeding of deer, and elk reintroductions.