Colorado Wildlife Official: No Evidence of CWD Impact on Wild PopulationSeptember 13, 2013From the American Cervid Alliance Newsroom--- Testimony during Iowa CWD Hearing Claims No Proof Exists linking Long-Term Affects
Last month, during hearings between Tom & Rhonda Brakke and the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, several expert witnesses testified concerning the origin and proven effects of CWD. Dr. Michael Miller, Senior Wildlife Veterinarian for Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, in his testimony as an expert witness for the State of Iowa, states that there is no proven origin of CWD. In further testimony he says that there is no evidence to prove CWD has had any real impact on free-ranging cervids.
His remarks come during a time when several political battles rage in states such as Missouri, Louisiana, and New York, which are considering closing their borders because of alleged fear that CWD will completely devastate their free-ranging deer populations. Florida closed its borders this past Friday after the Florida Fish and Game Commission Passed a unanimous emergency order closing the Florida borders to the importation of CWD susceptible cervids. In all these states it is the wildlife agencies that are promoting these fears.
Below are excerpts taken from the hearing transcript in Iowa, which are public record.
Dr. Michael Miller, Senior Wildlife Veterinarian for Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife: Testimony on August 14, 2013, Under Oath:
Question asked by Jacob Larsen, Iowa Assistant Attorney General: “And what has been the impact on the herd, overall herd, from the infection rate?” Answer by Dr Michael Miller: “Overall, at a large scale, so at a population level it's been difficult to demonstrate any effect over the period of time. In part because there are a number of other things that influence particularly deer population dynamics a lot more than a disease like this would in the |
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