BILLINGS — Montana’s first suspected case of CWD in a wild elk killed near Red Lodge was recorded Monday, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
In addition, three deer killed in south-central Montana also tested positive for the disease Monday. They included a mule deer taken on national forest land near Crooked Creek in the Pryor Mountains, a white-tailed deer killed northwest of Worden and a white-tailed deer killed on private land northeast of Silesia.
CWD, or chronic wasting disease, is an always fatal disease that affects the nervous system of deer, elk and moose. Transmission can most commonly occur through direct contact between animals, including urine, feces, saliva, blood and antler velvet.