

Hunters can ensure that any wild game they harvest is safe to eat by following a few simple precautions:
The vast majority of Manitoba's wildlife is very healthy. Natural selection, through predation, ensures that only the healthiest of wild animals survive. Sick, diseased, or injured wild animals are quickly killed and eaten by a wide variety of predators such as wolves preying on elk. This natural process ensures the overall health of Manitoba's wildlife.
Diseases can significantly affect wildlife populations in situations where natural habitat and environmental conditions have been altered. An example is the loss of natural habitat for elk through land clearing and agricultural activities. The situation becomes worse when elk, searching for browse, encounter rich food sources such as hay bales left in fields over the winter. Elk may crowd together to feed on this forage thereby increasing the chance of disease transmission.
Manitoba Conservation will continue to monitor the occurrence of diseases in wildlife so that steps can be taken to reduce their impact. Hunters are encouraged to report, to the nearest Manitoba Conservation office, any die-offs of animals encountered, including birds.
Manitoba hunters have made a significant contribution to our knowledge of wildlife disease by submitting biological samples. Your continued support has helped to ensure the health of Manitoba's wildlife and ecosystems.
The bovine TB surveillance program in elk and deer will continue in 2009. In order to detect changes in prevalence rate for this disease in these species, the number of samples needed for testing has increased. Failure to meet sample targets through hunter submissions may result in actions to collect additional samples. Therefore, it is important that all hunters who harvest a deer or an elk in these GHAs submit samples as required by regulation. Hunters are required to submit samples within 48 hours:
Hunters are requested to avoid taking elk and deer that have been fitted with radio-collars. These marked animals are important to the success of the ecological studies of elk and deer.
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has not been detected in Manitoba. It has been found in
Saskatchewan and Alberta, and in many of the mid-western
United States. The disease seems to be spreading in many
jurisdictions, including Saskatchewan and Alberta, and remains
a significant problem in wild deer in those provinces. An ongoing risk assessment of the disease in adjacent jurisdictions is
continuing.
Manitoba Conservation, in co-operation with Parks Canada and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, is again actively collecting and testing deer and elk samples for the presence of this disease. Hunters are required to submit samples.
The complete head and upper neck of elk and deer shot during the hunting seasons in GHAs 5, 6, 6A, 11, 12, 13, 13A, 18, 18A, and 22 west of PTH 83.
Samples must be delivered to a Manitoba Conservation office or a biological sample station.
Elk and deer submitted for testing under the Bovine TB surveillance program will also be tested for CWD.
If you see a deer or elk with CWD symptoms, including extreme weight loss, repetitive behavior, drooping head and ears, and drooling, you should note the precise location and contact the nearest Manitoba Conservation district office.
"Trichinosis" is a serious human disease caused by a parasite found in some wildlife species in Manitoba, including black bears. Wild animals rarely show signs of infection with the parasite causing the disease. In light of recent cases of this disease in humans in other jurisdictions who consumed infected bear meat, hunters are advised to ensure that all bear meat being prepared for consumption is well cooked.
Avian influenza (bird flu), is a general term for a number of "flu-like" diseases caused by viruses that primarily infect domestic poultry and certain wild birds including various species of waterfowl. Avian influenza viruses of many types are commonly found in healthy migratory birds and cause no ill effects to wild bird populations, domestic poultry operations or human health. However, some forms of Avian influenza (bird flu), such as the Asian H5N1 type are more virulent and are of more concern from . a human health standpoint.
Governments in Canada and the United States have been monitoring domestic and wild birds to determine if the Asian H5N1 strain of bird flu is present in North America. To date, this Asian strain of bird flu has not been found in either domestic or wild birds in North America but, monitoring will continue as early detection is important to stop the spread of influenza illnesses.
The risk to humans from avian bird flu is extremely low and hunters should follow some simple, common sense precautions when handling wild birds. Please see Handling and Preparing Wild Meat below.
Generally people should not handle wild animals that are obviously sick or found dead. If sick or dead waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans), or shorebirds (plovers, sandpipers) are found, contact the Canadian Wildlife Service at (204)984-6203 or contact Manitoba Conservation at 1-800-214-6497 or 945-6784 in Winnipeg.
West Nile virus (WNV) was detected in birds, horses and mosquitoes in 2002. WNV is primarily spread by certain species of mosquitoes. Wooded and marshy areas are favourite locations for adult mosquitoes. Hunters can reduce mosquito bites by wearing long-sleeves, long pants, and applying mosquito repellent containing DEET.
The risk of getting WNV from mosquito exposure is low, and the risk from handling or consuming wild game is even lower. Although, the prevalence of WNV infection in wild game is not known.
For further information on West Nile Virus and reducing the risk, please contact Health Links at 788-8200 in Winnipeg or 1-888-315-9257 outside of Winnipeg. Information is also available on the Manitoba Health and Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre web sites.