Surveillance and testing for chronic wasting disease

On this page

• Why surveillance is important
• Mandatory testing requirement
• Drop-off locations for testing
• Instructions for submitting a CWD sample
• Instructions for submitting harvest locations
• How to find your CWD result
• Report a sick animal

Why surveillance is important

Surveillance is a critical component of disease prevention and management. Since 2002, the B.C.CWD Program has conducted CWD surveillance in free-ranging cervid populations, including deer, elk, moose and caribou. Most samples are collected from hunter harvested animals, but it is also critical to test cervids collected from other sources such as those involved in vehicle collisions.

Surveillance is carried out across B.C., with enhanced efforts in the higher risk areas of the province, specifically areas with confirmed CWD cases and regions adjacent to CWD-positive jurisdictions outside of B.C. (Alberta, Montana, Idaho and Washington).

Hunters are encouraged to voluntarily submit harvested deer, elk, moose and caribou from all regions of B.C. for testing. The Kootenay, Okanagan and Peace regions are target areas for testing because these areas are at higher risk based on proximity to positive cases outside of B.C.

Mandatory testing requirement

Condition of hunting license

It is a condition of the general hunting license that all license holders who harvest a deer, elk or moose, under the authority of a species license, in MUs 4-1 to 4-8 and 4-20 to 4-25, deposit samples (the head or portion of the head) in a designated drop-off location within the CWD Management Zone, in accordance with the directions below:

• The head (or portion) must be deposited within one week of harvest
• The antlers must be removed
• Options for submitting:
  • The head (or portion) must be removed from the body and submitted with approximately 3 inches of neck attached (to ensure necessary tissues are present)
  • Deer only: The lower jaw may be submitted with the necessary tissues at the back of the throat present. Alternatively, the tonsils and retropharyngeal lymph nodes may be submitted
• Elk and Moose only: The obex and retropharyngeal lymph nodes may be submitted
• The submission must be fresh or frozen and in good condition and not rotten
• An ear card (provided at all drop-off locations) must be completed with hunter contact information and a location description (coordinates preferred) then attached to the submission
• The submission and completed ear card must be placed in a plastic bag (provided) and sealed before depositing in a designated CWD freezer
• Samples from deer, elk and moose harvested within the CWD Management Zone must be submitted for CWD testing before leaving the area

There is no cost for submitting samples for CWD testing.

Quick test kits are available online, but they are not considered to be as reliable as the standard tests carried out at accredited laboratories.  

Drop-off locations for testing

Drop-off locations are available during hunting season. These locations are subject to change. If a drop-off location is not available in your area, contact the B.C. Wildlife Health Program at 250-751-3219 to arrange drop-off.

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Instructions for submitting a CWD sample

• The head must be removed from the body, with at least three inches of neck still attached to preserve the tissues at the back of the throat that are required for testing
• Antlers must be removed. If the animal is harvested in a restricted antler season, remove both antlers with the skull plate as one piece and keep them with the carcass. It is important to retain evidence of sex and species with the carcass when the head is removed
• Hunters are aencouraged to collect and submit tissues (tonsils, lymph nodes and obex) on the animals they harvest if they prefer to retain portions of the head
• For European style mounts for deer, the lower jaw with tissues of the back of the throat may be submitted
• For European style mounts for elk and moose, the obex (brain stem) must be submitted in addition to the lower jaw with tissues at the back of the throat. Hunters can collect the obex from the opening at the base of the skull and submit it for testing
• The head can be fresh or frozen but must be in good condition, preferably not shot in the head and not rotten. The head can also be skinned out
• Animals must be over 1 year of age. Animals under 1 year will not be tested
• An ear card (provided at all CWD freezers) must be completed and attached with a zip-tie (provided) to either the ear or skull (if skinned), or placed inside a ziplock bag with the hunter-extracted tissues (tonsils, lymph nodes or obex)
• Retain the perforated portion of the ear card with the unique CWD ear card number. This number can be used to look up the CWD test results for your submission online
• Samples and ear cards must be placed in a garbage bag (provided) and the bag closed with a knot or zip-tie before being deposited in a designated CWD freezer

For printable sampling instructions with photos, see CWD Sampling Instructions for Hunters (PDF, 762KB).

For more information on removing a cervid head for submission, see Ways to Submit Samples (PDF, 768)

 

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Instructions for submitting harvest locations

As part of the provincial response to detections of CWD in the Kootenays, we are requesting specific harvest locations for all hunter harvested animals submitted for CWD testing. This information will give B.C. Wildlife Health Program staff a clearer picture of the distribution of negative and positive cases on the landscape and will better inform management actions. Specific harvest locations will be kept confidential.

Access the online tool for submitting harvest locations through GeoBC. Thank you for providing this information to support CWD management in B.C.

Submit harvest locations

Email CWD@gov.bc.ca if you have any questions.

How to find your CWD result

When you submit your sample, you will need to complete an ear card provided at the freezer drop-off location. Retain the perforated portion of the ear card with the unique CWD ear card number to look up your results online on the test results page.

All results are posted to the results page aside from positive cases. Positive cases are not displayed to respect the privacy of the submitter. More details about what happens when a sample tests positive for CWD can be found in the Information about positive results section.

How to report a sick animal

Early in a CWD disease outbreak it is unlikely to see animals exhibiting symptoms as most infected animals will appear healthy.

That said, if you observe an animal exhibiting concerning symptoms such as weight loss, poor coordination, or stumbling and trembling, send your report along with photos or videos to the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277 or the B.C. Wildlife Health Program at CWD@gov.bc.ca or 250-751-3219.