Frequently Asked Question
What You Need to Know about CWD in BC
The transport of brain tissue or spinal column (except for the tail) of any cervid, harvested within a CWD Management Zone (MUs 4-1 to 4-8 and 4-20 to 4-25), is prohibited outside of the CWD Management Zone. Transport of brain tissue or spinal column is permitted within the CWD Management Zone to allow for submission of CWD samples.
For more information, see page 15 of the Regulations Synopsis (PDF, 12.2MB).
Hunters should contact the Wildlife Health Program at 250-751-3219 or CWD@gov.bc.ca to discuss options for transporting cervids where travel outside of the CWD Management Zone is required for access to a CWD freezer.
Once CWD is introduced to an area, it is unlikely that the disease will be eradicated. However, if caught early, attempts can be made to contain the disease to limit further spread. Understanding what causes CWD and limiting risky activities is key to preventing the spread of CWD to new areas.
As a hunter, you have become a de facto front-line defender. Your role as a hunter is to harvest animals in CWD regions to eliminate carriers of the disease and potential hosts of the disease. The disease can be spread by scavengers, so it is important to obscure your carcass where possible by burying or covering the carcass with nearby deadfall.
By following mandatory testing guidelines and dropping off your samples, you are contributing to provincial surveillance. This is a critical component of the management of Chronic Wasting Disease.
Natural animal movement can spread disease locally. Hunters can transport carcasses and contaminated materials farther distances. For this reason, it is important to leave the non-edible portions of the carcass in the field. This reduces the chances of the disease being transported outside the CWD management unit.
There are human activities that increase the risk of CWD spread in B.C.
These activities include:
- Baiting, feeding and other attractants (e.g., salt blocks) can concentrate animals and create disease hot spots.
- Using cervid-based products (scents) that can contain CWD prions.
- Transporting cervid carcasses from areas affected by CWD into and within BC.
- Importing hay and feed materials from areas affected by CWD.
To limit the spread of CWD within the CWD Management Zone, it is advised that all non-edible parts of the animal be left at or near the kill site or disposed of safely at a landfill or designated disposal site. De-boning the animal at the kill site is the best practice to limit any waste material that is transported away from the harvest site.
For more information, review this instructional video on how to field dress and de-bone animals in CWD areas:
Please report all road kill to the BC Conservation Officers Service: 1-877-952-7277.
All deer, elk, moose and caribou found dead and collected from the initial response area must be submitted to a government testing site or drop-off location for testing. Designated disposal sites for road-killed cervids include the Central Regional Landfill – 600 Eager Hill Road or the Cranbrook Wildlife Office. To arrange drop-off at the Cranbrook Wildlife Office, contact Ken Walburger at ken.walburger@gov.bc.ca or 250-420-6371 (during business hours). The transport, disposal and use (for trapping) of road-killed cervids in the CWD Management Zone is regulated by the Chief Veterinary Officer under the authority of the B.C. Animal Health Act. A General Order CWD2024-002 (PDF, 255 KB) was issued in September 2024 and applies to the boundaries of the CWD Management Zone (PDF, 1.6MB), defined as MUs 4-1 to 4-8, and 4-20 to 4-25.
Surveillance is a critical component of disease prevention and management. Hunters provide the majority of the samples in British Columbia. Your participation in this component allows provincial biologists to understand how quickly CWD is spreading in BC. This information tells us if our strategies are working or if we need to make changes to the program to improve our results.
Since 2002, the B.C. CWD Program has conducted CWD surveillance in free-ranging cervid populations, including deer, elk, moose and caribou. While the majority of samples are collected from hunter-harvested animals, it is also critical to test cervids collected from other sources, such as those involved in vehicle collisions.
Surveillance is carried out across BC, with enhanced efforts in the higher-risk areas of the province, specifically areas with confirmed cases and regions adjacent to CWD-positive jurisdictions outside of BC (Alberta, Montana, Idaho and Washington).
While mandatory testing is limited to the CWD management zone, Hunters are encouraged to voluntarily submit harvested deer, elk, and moose from all regions of B.C. for testing. The Kootenay and Peace Regions are target areas for testing because these areas are at higher risk based on proximity to positive cases outside of BC.
CWD is caused by an abnormal protein called a prion that accumulates in the central nervous system and causes a degenerative neurological disease (i.e. damage to the brain tissue). The disease can be transmitted through saliva, urine, feces, carcasses and even plants and soil. An infected animal may be contagious for months or years before appearing sick. The body does not recognize the protein as an infection, so symptoms may take over a year after infection to show, once damage to the brain has already occurred.
Signs of infection in deer include:
- Stumbling and trembling
- Weight loss
- Poor coordination
If you observe an animal exhibiting signs of strain or fatigue, please report it to the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277 or the BC Wildlife Health Program at CWD@gov.bc.ca or 250-751-3219.
CWD spreads through direct contact with infected animals or their saliva, urine, feces, and blood, and indirectly through contaminated soil, plants, or water. Prions persist in the environment for years, and carcasses or human transport of infected materials can introduce the disease to new areas.
Signs of infection in deer include:
- Stumbling and trembling
- Weight loss
- Poor coordination
If you observe an animal exhibiting signs of strain or fatigue, please report it to the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277 or the BC Wildlife Health Program at CWD@gov.bc.ca or 250-751-3219.
For the first 1–2 years after infection, most cervids show no outward signs of CWD. Unlike a virus, the body doesn’t recognize the misfolded prion as a threat, so there’s no immune response.
In the later stages, symptoms become more obvious. Infected animals may display behavioural changes such as slowing down and losing their natural fear of humans, which can increase the risk of vehicle collisions. Physical signs include drooling, drooping ears, poor coordination, stumbling, trembling, and standing motionless for extended periods.
Signs of infection in deer include:
- Stumbling and trembling
- Weight loss
- Poor coordination
If you observe an animal exhibiting signs of strain or fatigue, please report it to the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277 or the BC Wildlife Health Program at CWD@gov.bc.ca or 250-751-3219.
CWD-infected deer can be reported to the Conservation Officers RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277. This line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You will be put in touch with a Conservation Officer in the area who will be able to help. The RAPP line will triage to Cait’s team at the Wildlife Health Office.
You can also contact Cait’s team directly. CWD@gov.bc.ca or by phone: 1-250-751-3219.
Regulations and restrictions have been put in place to help reduce the risk of CWD spreading to other parts of BC. These regulations and restrictions apply within a CWD Management Zone, which includes several Wildlife Management Units (MUs) within the Kootenay Region (MUs 4-1 to 4-8 and 4-20 to 4-25).
The transport of brain tissue or spinal column (except for the tail) of any cervid, harvested within CWD Management Zone (MUs 4-1 to 4-8 and 4-20 to 4-25), is prohibited outside of the CWD Management Zone. Transport of brain tissue or spinal column is permitted within the CWD Management Zone to allow for submission of CWD samples.
Hunters should contact the Wildlife Health Program at 250-751-3219 or CWD@gov.bc.ca to discuss options for transporting cervids where travel outside of the CWD Management Zone is required for access to a CWD freezer.
While we do our best to keep this site updated with current information regarding CWD in BC, it is pragmatic to check this page for any in-season changes to the mandatory testing requirement as well as the BC provincial hunting guidelines.
Please refer to the Safe Handling of Meat and Samples page for answers to this question.
Prion diseases are known for their long incubation periods. For example, Mad Cow Disease can take 10 to 12 years to develop, and Kuru—seen in Papua New Guinea—took up to 20 years to appear in men who consumed only muscle tissue (and not organs).
This suggests that, if CWD were to affect humans, it could also have a long incubation period. Additionally, we still don’t know if or how CWD might present in humans. Unfortunately, much about CWD remains a mystery.
It is a condition of the general hunting license that all license holders who harvest a deer, elk or moose, under the authority of a species license, in MUs 4-1 to 4-8 and 4-20 to 4-25, deposit samples (the head or portion of the head) in a designated drop-off location within the CWD Management Zone, and following the directions below:
- The head (or portion) must be deposited within one week of harvest
- The antlers must be removed
- Options for submitting:
- The head (or portion) must be removed from the body and submitted with approximately 3 inches of neck attached (to ensure necessary tissues are present)
- Deer only – The lower jaw may be submitted with the necessary tissues at the back of the throat present. Alternatively, the tonsils and retropharyngeal lymph nodes may be submitted
- Elk and Moose only – The obex and retropharyngeal lymph nodes may be submitted
- The head (or portion) must be fresh or frozen and in good condition; not rotten
- An ear card (provided) must be completed with location description (coordinates preferred) and contact information, and attached to the sample (inside the bag)
- The head (or portion) must be placed in a plastic bag (provided) with the completed ear card and sealed before depositing in a freezer
- Samples from deer, elk and moose harvested within the CWD Management Zone must be submitted for CWD testing before leaving the area
There is no cost for submitting samples for CWD testing.
Quick test kits are available online, but they are not considered to be as reliable as the standard tests carried out at accredited laboratories.
While we do our best to keep this site updated with current information regarding CWD in BC, it is pragmatic to check this page for any in-season changes to the mandatory testing requirement as well as the BC provincial hunting guidelines.
When you submit your sample and complete the ear card provided, record the CWD number in red print on the card (see the How to submit a sample poster (PDF, 571KB) for an example). This is your unique number for looking up your CWD results on the test results page. For more information on sampling, please visit the Safe Handling of Meat & Samples page.
All results are posted to the results page, aside for positive cases. Positive cases are not displayed to respect the privacy of the submitter. Positive results are available in the Map of Positive Detections in B.C. (PDF, 931KB).
If a positive result is found, the hunter will be contacted directly and immediately. An investigation will be carried out to determine the location of the meat and carcass parts. The hunter will be advised not to consume the meat (based on public health recommendations) and arrange for proper disposal.
There is no legal obligation to turn in the meat. It is the hunter’s choice to turn in the meat of a CWD-positive animal. It is strongly recommended that the meat not be eaten and be turned in so that it can be properly disposed of in a licensed incineration facility or designated landfill. Proper disposal is critical to avoid environmental contamination.
If a positive result is found, the hunter will be contacted directly and immediately. An investigation will be carried out to determine the location of the meat and carcass parts. The hunter will be advised not to consume the meat (based on public health recommendations) and arrange for proper disposal.
There is no legal obligation to turn in the meat. It is the hunter’s choice to turn in the meat of a CWD-positive animal. It is strongly recommended that the meat not be eaten and be turned in so that it can be properly disposed of in a licensed incineration facility or designated landfill. Proper disposal is critical to avoid environmental contamination.
Check the Sample Drop Off Location page for the latest map & Drop-Off Locations.
In response to detections of CWD in the Kootenays, we are requesting specific harvest locations for hunter-harvested animals that were submitted for CWD testing. This information will help us get a better picture of the distribution of negative and positive cases. Harvest locations will be kept confidential.
Visit the Sample Drop Off Locations & Testing page to learn more.
We have been doing Chronic Wasting Disease survaillance for a couple of decades. In 2024, the first cases were detected in BC in the Kootenay region. Since then we have ramped up surveillance. Hunters have played a massive role in this by submitting over 82% of samples. Currently, we know CWD is there and it is of concern. The data shows that it is in a small portion of animals and the spread of CWD could potentially be slowed down.
We’ve learned valuable lessons from how Saskatchewan and Alberta initially managed CWD. Both provinces responded with aggressive large-scale culls, which quickly became controversial and politically sensitive. Public backlash eventually halted these efforts, giving CWD the chance to spread more rapidly.
At the time, these actions were based on the best available science, but key aspects of the disease were still unknown, such as its ability to be shed by live animals and persist in the environment. Later research in Alberta revealed that CWD tends to occur in small, concentrated clusters rather than being widely distributed. This insight means we don’t need to repeat broad culls. Instead, we should focus on targeted sampling of local cervid populations, identify hotspots, and remove infected animals only from those specific areas.
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is believed to have originated in captive deer populations in Colorado in the late 1960s. It was first recognized as a distinct condition in 1967 at a wildlife research facility near Fort Collins, Colorado, where mule deer in captivity were exhibiting unusual weight loss and neurological symptoms. CWD moved into Canada via farmed elk.
Unfortunately not, prions are essentially indestructible. They are resistant to disinfectants, UV radiation, burning and freezing.
CWD will continue to spread—and once it’s established in a landscape, it’s nearly impossible to eliminate. Without active management, the disease can spread rapidly.
Effective management can help keep CWD prevalence low for years. This approach contains the disease to smaller areas and gives us valuable time to improve our understanding and develop better tools for control.
Unfortunately, CWD is already here, and managing it must now be a permanent part of our environmental policy.
There isn’t a specific deer density we can aim for to control CWD, because the disease behaves differently depending on the situation. While density is one factor, it’s not usually the main driver.
More often, CWD transmission is frequency-dependent—it depends on how deer interact with each other and their environment. Factors like shared food sources, urban deer concentrations, baiting, and feeding create unnatural gathering points. These hotspots increase the likelihood of disease spread, even if overall population density is low.
So while density matters, the key issue is how often and closely animals come into contact, especially in shared spaces.
