Managing an Invisible Disease

Is there a Zombie moose on the loose?! Not quite... But there is something lurking in the woods that has our “deer” friends shakin' in their hooves. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a 100% fatal illness that’s creeping its way through cervid populations, and it’s nearly impossible to spot. Luckily, wildlife biologists like our guest Cait Nelson from the BC Ministry of Water, Lands, and Natural Resource Stewardship are on the case.

In this episode host Dr. Kaylee Byers and Cait Nelson talk about the clever scientific tools that are helping us track CWD– from grapefruit spoons to genomics! We’ll also hear from Alfred Joseph from the ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation and member of the Ktunaxa Tribe, who explains how CWD is more than just a threat to wildlife, but also has deep implications for community and food sovereignty.

Join us on a pun-packed hunt to find out how we can get ahead of this deadly and stubborn disease, one dead head at a time.

Special thanks to Jeff Berdusco, CWD Coordinator in the Kootenay region for providing field recordings for this episode.

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Highlights

(4:46) What is CWD?

(13:10) A threat to cultural independence.

(17:48) Tracking a silent killer.

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Resources:

1. Chronic Wasting Disease - British Columbia

2. To Fight Chronic Wasting Disease, BC Begins to Harvest Deer - The Tyee

3. “It’s important to know about this” - risk communication and the impacts of chronic wasting disease on Indigenous food systems in Western Canada - Environmental Science & Policy

4. Chronic Wasting Disease: Prevention, Surveillance, and Response - BC Wildlife Federation