Source: https://www.startribune.com/wildlife-officials-quarantine-new-herds-in-fight-against-cwd/600061222/

Wildlife officials quarantine new herds in fight against CWD

State wildlife officials said Tuesday they're taking urgent steps to protect Minnesota's deer population after 12 additional white-tailed deer from a defunct Beltrami County deer farm tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

Officials said they're quarantining five additional herds across the state and building a fence around a site where deer were illegally dumped in Beltrami County to prevent the spread of the always-fatal neurological disease affecting deer and elk.

A herd in Hennepin County and one in Kanabec County were quarantined Thursday.

Three other herds in Mille Lacs, Morrison and Mower counties that received animals from the Kanabec County herd were quarantined on Friday.

The Board of Animal Health is working to identify and test animals in all potentially infected herds. It is also investigating possible violations of animal health laws.

All 54 in the Beltrami County herd were killed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this month. The deer were then tested to see how many on the farm were carrying CWD.