This was published in a Wisconsin paper. At last, a writer that show some common sense, and is not spouting the DNR's lies and half-truths.
Maybe the tide is turning?????? The scorched earth policy of the DNR is finally getting scrutinized.
With the DNR sharpshooters going in and killing all these deer in these zones, aren't they also killing the genetically resistant deer that nature needs to move the species ahead?
A smarter, 'passive' plan to fight CWD
Journal Sentinel Files
Let Mother Nature's passive plan of natural selection already in progress control CWD, says scientist Anthony C. Grabski.
Anthony C. Grabski
March 15, 2014
Recent news articles, public commentary and politicians have criticized James Kroll's recommendations from the Deer Trustee Report and the state Department of Natural Resource's policy to employ "passive management" of chronic wasting disease. Instead, they have called for the return of aggressive CWD management strategies based on extreme herd reduction and culling by sharpshooters.
Although claims have been made by researchers at the University of Illinois that "culling is a textbook strategy for control," Mother Nature apparently did not read that textbook when she designed white-tailed deer 3 million to 4 million years ago. Evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin and common sense also do not agree with culling as a disease control strategy in wild animal populations.
White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, have done very well adapting to myriad challenges from diseases, predation, hunting and environmental change. They are the most widespread deer in the world with a range from Canada to Peru, including 38 whitetail subspecies. North America's white-tail population is estimated at 25 million to 30 million animals, and Wisconsin's deer population has been estimated at 1 million to 1.5 million. The distribution, subspecies variety and high population of deer clearly demonstrate Mother Nature's success and the evolutionary principles of genetic selection first described in 1859 by Darwin in his book, "On the Origin of Species."
Darwin described natural selection, the cornerstone of evolution, as follows:
"Individuals having any advantage, however slight, over others, would have the best chance of surviving and of procreating their kind. On the other hand, we may feel sure that any variation in the least degree injurious would be rigidly destroyed. This preservation of favorable variations and the rejection of injurious variations, I call Natural Selection.
"Under nature, the slightest difference of structure or constitution may well turn the nicely-balanced scale in the struggle for life, and so be preserved. How fleeting are the wishes and efforts of man! How short his time! And consequently how poor will his products be, compared with those accumulated by nature during whole geological periods. Can we wonder, then, that nature's productions should be far 'truer' in character than man's productions; that they should be infinitely better adapted to the most complex conditions of life, and should plainly bear the stamp of far higher workmanship?"
Stacie Robinson and co-authors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Alberta-Edmonton reported in the journal "Ecological Applications" that 41% of deer from the CWD core area of Wisconsin demonstrated resistance to CWD. Not only were the resistant deer four times less likely to contract CWD, but if they did become infected, advanced infection of the brain stem was 12 times lower, and they lived 49% longer than the disease-susceptible deer.
Furthermore, due to lowered infection and mortality, deer with the resistant genotypes had a significant reproductive advantage. This advantage would drive natural selection toward a predominantly CWD-resistant population within 250 years at low infection rates and within 50 years at high infection rates.
The authors stated these genetic differences in disease dynamics have not been previously documented, accounted for in management planning or considered in current CWD models.
These genetic resistance findings were not available when Illinois instituted its sharpshooting program but certainly should be considered now. Culling randomly removes CWD-resistant deer as well as reducing the selective pressure toward resistance caused by the diseased deer. Although evolutionary change is slow by our standards, nature has done a better job than people ever will at building a better deer. High CWD infection rates in some areas of the state translate to greater selective pressure and evolution toward disease resistance.
The bottom line: Let Mother Nature's passive plan of natural selection already in progress control CWD. Culling by sharpshooters and aggressive herd reduction may reap hypothesized temporary benefits but will slow natural selection and permanent evolutionary change toward CWD-resistant deer.
On Jan. 22, the state Natural Resources Board approved recommendations from the Deer Trustees Report including what has erroneously been called "passive management." That same night in Mount Horeb, where the costly CWD war in Wisconsin all began, I met with a group of hunters and we rejoiced: Aggressive measures to control CWD finally ended. Mother Nature and her deer had won.
Anthony C. Grabski is a scientist in protein biochemistry, a hunter and a farmer who lives within the state Department of Natural Resources CWD Management Zone near Blue Mounds. He is chairman of the Iowa County delegation to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.
Maybe the tide is turning?????? The scorched earth policy of the DNR is finally getting scrutinized.
With the DNR sharpshooters going in and killing all these deer in these zones, aren't they also killing the genetically resistant deer that nature needs to move the species ahead?
A smarter, 'passive' plan to fight CWD
Journal Sentinel Files
Let Mother Nature's passive plan of natural selection already in progress control CWD, says scientist Anthony C. Grabski.
Anthony C. Grabski
March 15, 2014
Recent news articles, public commentary and politicians have criticized James Kroll's recommendations from the Deer Trustee Report and the state Department of Natural Resource's policy to employ "passive management" of chronic wasting disease. Instead, they have called for the return of aggressive CWD management strategies based on extreme herd reduction and culling by sharpshooters.
Although claims have been made by researchers at the University of Illinois that "culling is a textbook strategy for control," Mother Nature apparently did not read that textbook when she designed white-tailed deer 3 million to 4 million years ago. Evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin and common sense also do not agree with culling as a disease control strategy in wild animal populations.
White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, have done very well adapting to myriad challenges from diseases, predation, hunting and environmental change. They are the most widespread deer in the world with a range from Canada to Peru, including 38 whitetail subspecies. North America's white-tail population is estimated at 25 million to 30 million animals, and Wisconsin's deer population has been estimated at 1 million to 1.5 million. The distribution, subspecies variety and high population of deer clearly demonstrate Mother Nature's success and the evolutionary principles of genetic selection first described in 1859 by Darwin in his book, "On the Origin of Species."
Darwin described natural selection, the cornerstone of evolution, as follows:
"Individuals having any advantage, however slight, over others, would have the best chance of surviving and of procreating their kind. On the other hand, we may feel sure that any variation in the least degree injurious would be rigidly destroyed. This preservation of favorable variations and the rejection of injurious variations, I call Natural Selection.
"Under nature, the slightest difference of structure or constitution may well turn the nicely-balanced scale in the struggle for life, and so be preserved. How fleeting are the wishes and efforts of man! How short his time! And consequently how poor will his products be, compared with those accumulated by nature during whole geological periods. Can we wonder, then, that nature's productions should be far 'truer' in character than man's productions; that they should be infinitely better adapted to the most complex conditions of life, and should plainly bear the stamp of far higher workmanship?"
Stacie Robinson and co-authors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Alberta-Edmonton reported in the journal "Ecological Applications" that 41% of deer from the CWD core area of Wisconsin demonstrated resistance to CWD. Not only were the resistant deer four times less likely to contract CWD, but if they did become infected, advanced infection of the brain stem was 12 times lower, and they lived 49% longer than the disease-susceptible deer.
Furthermore, due to lowered infection and mortality, deer with the resistant genotypes had a significant reproductive advantage. This advantage would drive natural selection toward a predominantly CWD-resistant population within 250 years at low infection rates and within 50 years at high infection rates.
The authors stated these genetic differences in disease dynamics have not been previously documented, accounted for in management planning or considered in current CWD models.
These genetic resistance findings were not available when Illinois instituted its sharpshooting program but certainly should be considered now. Culling randomly removes CWD-resistant deer as well as reducing the selective pressure toward resistance caused by the diseased deer. Although evolutionary change is slow by our standards, nature has done a better job than people ever will at building a better deer. High CWD infection rates in some areas of the state translate to greater selective pressure and evolution toward disease resistance.
The bottom line: Let Mother Nature's passive plan of natural selection already in progress control CWD. Culling by sharpshooters and aggressive herd reduction may reap hypothesized temporary benefits but will slow natural selection and permanent evolutionary change toward CWD-resistant deer.
On Jan. 22, the state Natural Resources Board approved recommendations from the Deer Trustees Report including what has erroneously been called "passive management." That same night in Mount Horeb, where the costly CWD war in Wisconsin all began, I met with a group of hunters and we rejoiced: Aggressive measures to control CWD finally ended. Mother Nature and her deer had won.
Anthony C. Grabski is a scientist in protein biochemistry, a hunter and a farmer who lives within the state Department of Natural Resources CWD Management Zone near Blue Mounds. He is chairman of the Iowa County delegation to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.
