BATON ROUGE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — On Thursday, December 2, 2021, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission announced that a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) positive doe was discovered in Union County, Ark. The doe was located just a few miles north of the Louisiana Border on Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge.
In response to the discovery of CWD, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is applying its CWD Response Plan to monitor and curb the spread of CWD into Louisiana. The ending of all supplemental feeding, including mineral or salt licks, will begin for the Union and Morehouse Parishes.
According to LDWF, the purpose of the feeding ban is to reduce the potential spread of CWD into Louisiana by reducing the risk of exposure when deer are concentrated around feeding sites. The use of approved bait not normally ingested by deer for feral hog trapping will still be allowed.
All bait must be placed and contained within the trap itself. This declaration of Emergency will become effective on Monday, December 6, 2021 and will remain in effect for the maximum period allowed under the Administrative Procedure Act.