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Copyright © 2008 Sac & Fox Tribe Of The Mississippi In Iowa. All rights reserved. |
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Pictured on the left, Meskwaki Natural Resources Technician, Kelly Schott, explains the dissection techniques used in sampling deer for CWD to a group of students from the Meskwaki Settlement School. |
As a part of the Chronic Wasting Disease program, students from the Meskwaki Settlement School learned how to dissect a deer head for testing. |
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Testing...
During 2006, the Tribe obtained a USDA/APHIS grant to aid in its efforts to generate information on the CWD status of deer populations on the Settlement. This was a first attempt to conduct surveillance or targeted management of CWD on the Settlement. Funds were used primarily to build awareness of CWD among the tribal community and to begin to conduct surveillance of deer to determine CWD status.
Currently the Tribes is testing the medial retropharyngeel lymph gland (the lymph nodes), obex tissue (stem of the spinal cord), and the tonsils. Samples are sent to the National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, Iowa for testing.
The department has collected over 30 heads so far during 2007/2008 year with all results coming back negative. Due to the close proximity of positive cases of CWD in neighboring states, the Meskwaki Natural Resources Department is testing for CWD to identify any cases and be able to act earlier to eradicate and/or prevent any spread of the disease.
If you see a deer exhibiting unusual behavior or would like to report a road kill deer, please contact the Meskwaki Natural Resources Office at 484-3511.