Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) confirmed on Friday that chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been detected for the first time in an elk in the Ruby Mountains.
FWP said in a press release a hunter harvested the elk adjacent to the lower Ruby Valley, where there has been a high prevalence of CWD in both white-tailed and mule deer. FWP said the disease was expected to occur eventually in elk in the area, given the presence of CWD in deer populations that use the same habitats.
CWD, a contagious neurological disease, infects mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, and moose, is always fatal, and has no known cure, according to the release.
The release said samples from other hunter-harvested animals indicate the presence of CWD likely still remains low in elk. Changes in hunting regulations due to the CWD-positive elk are not likely, and FWP says hunters can help monitor …