The Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation is calling for the immediate reinstatement of the Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Program after the provincial government’s decision to terminate it at the end of October.

According to SWF figures, the program costs roughly $450,000 annually. Out of those costs the Government of Saskatchewan covers about $140,000, with the remaining approximately $300,000 coming from the Fish and Wildlife Development Fund, which receives a portion of hunting and angling licence revenues.

Executive Director Darrel Crabbe says testing is an important tool for monitoring a disease that continues to threaten Saskatchewan wildlife

“Hunters have spent years submitting samples and supporting efforts to better understand CWD. Ending this program undermines that work and leaves hunters with fewer resources to make informed decisions about the animals they harvest.”

Only the wildlife surveillance program will be cut. The  provincial government will continue to fund laboratory testing of eligible game-farmed animals.

The SWF is urging hunters and everyone concerned about Saskatchewan’s wildlife to contact their local MLA to call for reinstatement of the provincial CWD testing program.

Chronic wasting disease was first detected in domestic elk in Saskatchewan in 1996. The first case in a wild deer was reported in 2000. Since that time, CWD has spread to various areas of the province.