Deer culling follow up

November and December saw a regular culling of the female deer in the area, with 30 taken — 16 on Nov. 18 and 14 on Dec. 11.

Sergeant Pat Cornwell said the deer were taken from the state park, town properties and the gully next to the fire hall among other areas. Out of the animals taken, four — just over 13 percent — were confirmed to have chronic wasting disease. Meat from the healthy animals was given to those who contacted the police department prior to the culling.

Cornwell added it’s nice to see the number of animals with chronic wasting disease are going down. Animals stricken with chronic wasting become very thin and unresponsive to stimuli. They might also have drooping ears but the most obvious symptom is a loss of body tissue.

The 30 does culled in 2018 is down significantly from the 80 taken when the process first started. The culling helps ensure there are fewer deer in town and those left are healthier. It also leads to fewer accidents and helps drive the bucks out as they have to go searching for mates.

More information on chronic wasting disease, as well as maps and surveillance reports, are available online at wgfd.wyo.gov