416 reindeer were killed during the wild reindeer hunt on Hardangervidda this year, and no cases of scrapie or CWD were detected in any of the animals examined. The wild reindeer tribes are under pressure throughout the country, and state managers in several counties have been tasked with leading the work to improve the conditions for the wild reindeer in their area. The scurvy disease is a potentially major threat to the wild reindeer. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority believes that the most likely percentage of infected animals in the population is 0.1 per cent. This means that there may be 3–4 infected reindeer on Hardangervidda. – But these calculations are uncertain and therefore the number of infected animals can be both somewhat higher and somewhat lower, says special inspector and veterinarian at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority André Høva. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) The brain disease chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been given the Norwegian name skrantesjuke. Scrapie is a contagious prion disease that can affect deer. The disease was first detected in Norway in the spring of 2016, then in a wild reindeer herd in the Nordfjella mountains. This was the first documented case of the disease in deer in Europe. The infection was later found in moose in Selbu. Before the disease was discovered in Norway, the disease was only known from the USA and Canada. Signs of the disease include emaciation and abnormal behaviour, but deer can also have scrapie without showing signs of the disease. Distemper is fatal for the animal. Source: Hjortevilt.no Few animals examined This year it was only allowed to shoot adult bucks during the hunt, and at the start of the hunt there were just over 900 adult reindeer bucks on Hardangervidda. Secretary of the Hardangervidda wild reindeer selection, Svein Erik Lund. Photo: Kjell Bitustøyl, Norwegian Wild Reindeer Center Sør The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has had 402 samples examined for scrapie disease (CWD). – It tells the most about the occurrence of CWD among the reindeer bucks. For this year, almost only samples from adult reindeer bucks were examined, says Svein Erik Lund, who is secretary of the Hardangervidda wild reindeer selection. The Hardangervidda Wild Reindeer Committee is responsible for the management of wild reindeer in Hardangervidda. The reason why there was no felling quota for simler this year was because there are so few of them. And thus there was a much lower calf increase than what the population plan indicates. Around 1,000 calves were born this winter, while the target for the management of the wild reindeer population is 1,500 new calves each year. The reindeer selection committee believes the population is only between 3,500 and 4,000 animals. The target for stock size on Hardangervidda has mainly varied between 9,000 – 12,000 animals. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is afraid of spreading The first case of scrapie on Hardangervidda was in September 2020. Then CWD was detected in a reindeer buck. The second case was on a simle in October 2022. Both reindeer were killed in Vinje municipality, and were approximately 8 years old. The Food Safety Authority’s conclusion is that Hardangervidda is in an early phase of the course of infection for CWD in the wild reindeer population. André Høva says the challenge is to avoid more infected animals and more contamination in the environment. Special inspector and veterinarian in the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, André Høva. Photo: Norwegian Food Safety Authority – We consider that the consequences of a situation with established CWD in the reindeer herd on Hardangervidda are very large due to the potential for the disease to spread in the long term, that is to say in a 40-year perspective. He refers to the spread of CWD in the USA and Canada from the first detection of wild deer in 1981 until today. – Our assessment and recommendation is that rapid and interventional measures are necessary at population level. The objective is to ensure that we do not get an establishment and spread of the disease in the populations of wild and domestic deer in Norway and Scandinavia. Høva says that both the wild reindeer tribes, the reindeer herding and the populations of elk and deer will be hit hard if the disease is allowed to spread.
ttn-69
Didn’t find scaly reindeer during the hunt – still won’t report the herd to health – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
