According to the 2018 Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Report issued by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), biologists detected 26 new cases of CWD in 2018. Twenty-one of those happened along the state’s northern border in every county from Liberty County east to the North Dakota border, and 5 cases within the CWD-positive area south of Billings.
To date, biologists detected CWD in Carbon, Liberty, Hill, Blaine, Phillips, Valley, Daniels, and Sheridan Counties. The current distribution of CWD within Montana is consistent with the natural spread of the disease from Alberta and Saskatchewan to the north, and from Wyoming to the south.
Biologists met their surveillance goals in all areas except around Philipsburg. While CWD was not detected there, they will revisit the area for additional surveillance in 2019.
Go here to find a link to the report.
(Photo source: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks)