No evidence of the devestating chronic wasting disease was detected in Massachusetts deer this season(MassWildlife photo)
No evidence of chronic wasting disease was detected in Massachusetts deer based on data gathered during the 2005 hunting season.
MassWildlife recently received results from a federally certified veterinary diagnostic laboratory that indicate that all the deer brain, lymph node, and tonsil samples taken during last fall's hunting season tested negative for the disease. During the fall 2005 deer hunting season, MassWildlife collected 577 samples from hunter-harvested, roadkilled and targeted deer across the state for CWD testing.
This was the fourth year of sampling in Massachusetts as part of a nationwide CWD monitoring and surveillance program. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disorder known to affect white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose.
The World Health Organization has concluded that there is no evidence that people can become infected with CWD. CWD was first identified in the late 1960's in Colorado and remained located in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska for over two decades.
In the past decade, states in which CWD was more recently found include: Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wisconsin; plus Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada. In 2005, deer in New York and West Virginia tested positive for CWD. These were the first instances of the disease detected in the northeastern United States.
As responsible stewards for all native wildlife in the state, MassWildlife has implemented strict regulations to prevent the disease from entering the Bay State and affecting the health of both wild and captive deer populations.
It is unlawful to import all species of live deer including European red deer, sika deer, fallow deer and reindeer, all species commonly raised commercially. Last fall, in response to the presence of CWD in New York, regulations were passed by the Fisheries and Wildlife Board that make it illegal for anyone to import, process or possess whole carcasses or parts of deer or elk (from wild or captive deer herds) from states and Canadian provinces where CWD has been detected. The only exceptions to the regulation are: meat that is deboned, cleaned skull caps, hides and finished taxidermy mounts.
By restricting importation to these specific deer parts, the importation of neurological tissue --which is where the disease-causing prions are located -- is prevented, yet sportsmen and sportswomen hunting in states with CWD can still safely use the deer they harvest.
For more information regarding CWD and actions taken by MassWildlife, click on the Wildlife button at www.mass.gov/masswildlife . For national CWD information, visit the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance website at www.cwd-info.org .
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Berkshire Museum Explores Ancient Egypt With ‘Soulful Creatures’
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Following its multimillion-dollar renovation, the Berkshire Museum is welcoming an exhibition unlike any it has been able to host before.
Marking the museum's first major exhibition since its renovation, "Soulful Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt," opening Saturday, Oct. 10, thins the veil between the ever-evolving history of Egyptian culture and society and modern day people.
"The most important thing about history is recognizing people from the past as actual people. Ancient Egyptians are no different than us," said William Dore, the museum's chief curator. "They have different cultures and beliefs and different viewpoints, but you can say the same thing about people today."
When audiences experience the exhibit, they will see the humanity in the people of the past, which in turn helps them connect with different views and perspectives around the world today, he said.
Combining archeology with modern scientific imaging, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Museum curators Yekaterina Barbash and Edward Bleiberg designed an exhibit that works to uncover the mysteries behind these objects and the beliefs and rituals that surround them.
"I think something that people kind of misunderstand about history is none of it's ever settled. ... History is a science that is constantly questioned,” Dore said. "It only works if everyone's constantly rethinking things, learning new things ... which is for me super exciting because as much as we know a lot about the ancient Egyptians, there's a lot we don't know.”
The installation features dozens of artifacts on loan from the Brooklyn Museum that explores the practice of animal mummification and the role animals played in ancient Egyptian religion.
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