Kansas deer hunters can get free testing for chronic wasting disease. Here's how.
Kansas hunters can again get their deer tested for chronic wasting disease for free.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks announced Wednesday that deer hunters can get free testing for the 2021-22 seasons through a research project collaboration with the University of Missouri.
Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, is a deer that damages and ultimately destroys brains of deer, elk and moose. There is no known treatment or eradication method, so experts advise humans to avoid assisting in spreading the highly-infectious disease.
The research is intended to better understand where CWD is present in Kansas and how the disease spreads.
To get free testing, hunters can call Mizzou staff at 620-402-4195 or emailing kscwdsurveillance@gmail.com. Hunters will have to collect samples of lymph nodes and drop them off with a local KDWP biologist. They also must provide the location where the deer was harvested.
Additional information on the testing program, including locations where hunters can receive assistance in collecting samples, is available online at www.ksoutdoors.com.
Jason Tidd is a statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jtidd@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason_Tidd.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: How Kansas deer hunters can get free chronic wasting disease testing
