First cwd cases found in California
It is strange how far removed it is from other CWD populations. Birds or predators might spread it, but they would have to be fairly close to the source and the newly contaminated, I would think. Would someone do on purpose? an Anti hunter?The California cases aren't really close to each other but I could definitely see how those dear could have shared summer range. It always surprises me where it pops up. Same thought about where it was found in ID a couple years ago. Makes me think that the disease moves effectively regardless of interactions between deer populations. Either travelling through human actions or it could be carried via avian scavengers.
California has been monitoring for CWD for over 20 years so I don't think it was a lack of testing.
Lots of talk about it traveling on imported feeds, hay and alfalfa and such.The California cases aren't really close to each other but I could definitely see how those dear could have shared summer range. It always surprises me where it pops up. Same thought about where it was found in ID a couple years ago. Makes me think that the disease moves effectively regardless of interactions between deer populations. Either travelling through human actions or it could be carried via avian scavengers.
California has been monitoring for CWD for over 20 years so I don't think it was a lack of testing.
I think this is quite plausible. The odds of someone discarding a CWD-infected carcass in the middle of the Sierra Nevadas seems pretty low.Lots of talk about it traveling on imported feeds, hay and alfalfa and such.
I think this is quite plausible. The odds of someone discarding a CWD-infected carcass in the middle of the Sierra Nevadas seems pretty low.
It is strange how far removed it is from other CWD populations. Birds or predators might spread it, but they would have to be fairly close to the source and the newly contaminated, I would think. Would someone do on purpose? an Anti hunter?
But hey let’s defund any and all state or federal agencies that would be assigned to tracking or guarding against it.There's more than a little evidence that China has demonstrated interest in introducing invasive species and crop and forestry diseases into the US. It's a hell of a powerful economic weapon, that has a broad degradation effect across the entire economy by undermining some of its foundational parts. Not saying they're doing anything with CWD, but the whole issue is certainly worth investigating.
Younger me would think that’s crazy talk. However, the more I’ve been paying attention to historians describing how countries have screwed with other countries economies as a way of improving their place in the world, now I wouldn’t put it past them to do it.There's more than a little evidence that China has demonstrated interest in introducing invasive species and crop and forestry diseases into the US. It's a hell of a powerful economic weapon, that has a broad degradation effect across the entire economy by undermining some of its foundational parts. Not saying they're doing anything with CWD, but the whole issue is certainly worth investigating.
I asked Artificial Intelligence if wolves can spread CWD. Here is the reply:
Yes, wolves can potentially spread Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) through their scat. CWD is a prion disease that affects deer, elk, and moose, and wolves can become infected by consuming infected animals or coming into contact with infected carcasses.
Studies have shown that CWD prions can persist in wolf scat for extended periods, potentially contaminating soil and water sources. This raises concerns about the role of wolves in transmitting CWD to other animals.
However, it's important to note that the exact extent of wolf-to-wolf or wolf-to-other-species transmission through scat is still being researched and debated. More studies are needed to fully understand the risks and mechanisms involved.
truly scary stuff. California has the ideal conditions for CWD to rampage unchecked through the human population if the disease makes the jump to humans. Thousands of Californians congrigating, eating, sleeping, and deficating mindlessly all in the same location.
First cwd cases found in California
That is an interesting theory and makes sense too.Isn't there a theory that CWD is spread by predators because it makes the prey easier to kill? There's something similar going on with cats and toxoplasmosis - it makes mice and rats less afraid, and doesn't cause them to run off at the smell of a cat like they normally do.
Yes. It is a protein, so it does not cook out. "Incineration is possible, but it isn't as easy as burning the carcass in a fire. Temperatures of more than 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit — sometimes up to 1,800 degrees — are required to effectively neutralize prions."The whole idea that you can’t disable prions with cooking, still blows my mind.