Record year for chronic wasting disease

Thirty-six wild deer have tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease in Saskatchewan this year the highest number ever recorded in one year since the province started testing for the degenerative nerve disease.

The numbers have added fuel to the debate about bait hunting, which has been banned in some provinces, but is allowed in Saskatchewan.

The 36 are mostly mule deer and come from just about every region of the province.

Of those, 32 were taken by hunters while the other four were either found dead in the woods or were obviously sick.

Three of the infected deer came around Love, south of Nipawin, and all three are said to have fed at the same bait station set out by hunters to attract animals.

Jurisdictions around North America have banned deer baiting or are encouraging hunters not to bait or feed deer.

Manitoba, where there is a ban, hasn't had a confirmed case of CWD in wild deer.

The argument against baiting is that it concentrates deer and increases the likelihood of spreading disease in a deer herd.

Baiting can also introduce foreign contaminants, opponents say.

But while some see the link between deer baiting and CWD as conclusive, the official Saskatchewan government response is that there is still no clear connection.

Saskatchewan Environment Department spokesperson Marv Hlady says there's not enough proof of a link to ban baiting in Saskatchewan. He says animals also congregate in hay yards and unharvested fields where baiting is not an issue.