National Elk Refuge Confirms Second Chronic Wasting Disease Case

The National Elk Refuge has confirmed a second chronic wasting disease case in an elk, and this is exactly why disease surveillance cannot be treated like background paperwork.

The elk was found dead in late April, estimated at three to five years old, and tested positive through the Wyoming Game and Fish Department lab. That follows the refuge’s first confirmed CWD case in mid-April, when another elk in the same estimated age range was euthanized after biologists saw signs consistent with the disease, including poor body condition, isolation, and impaired coordination. A third spring mortality sample tested negative.

The refuge has now updated its CWD response plan. Current work includes daily surveillance of elk during feeding operations, testing suitable cervid mortality samples, mandatory testing of hunter-harvested elk and white-tailed deer on the refuge, carcass disposal through a high-temperature crematory, and continued work with Wyoming Game and Fish and other partners.

CWD is not something hunters should shrug off. It is a fatal neurological disease in deer, elk, and moose. It can move animal-to-animal and through contaminated environments, and there is no known cure. That makes early detection, testing, carcass handling, and honest reporting part of responsible wildlife management.

Legal harvest still belongs in the management toolbox, especially when agencies need samples, population control, and eyes on the ground. But hunters have to do it clean: follow testing rules, handle carcasses right, and stay plugged into local guidance. Pretending disease is someone else’s problem is how bad problems get worse.