Chronic Wasting Disease In the mid-1980s, CWD was detected in
free-ranging deer and elk in contiguous portions of northeastern
Colorado and southeastern Wyoming. In May 2001, CWD was also
found in free-ranging deer in the southwestern corner of
Nebraska (adjacent to Colorado and Wyoming) and later in
additional areas in western Nebraska. The limited area of
northern Colorado, southern Wyoming, and western Nebraska in
which free-ranging deer and/or elk positive for CWD have been
found is referred to as the endemic area. Soon after diagnosis
of the disease as a TSE, Colorado and Wyoming wildlife
management agencies stopped the movement of deer and elk from
their research facilities; wild cervids have not been
translocated from the endemic area. In 2002, CWD also has been
detected in wild deer in south-central Wisconsin, southwestern
South Dakota, the western slope of Colorado, southern New
Mexico, and northern Illinois. CWD also has been diagnosed in
farmed elk and deer herds in a number of States and in two Ca