The Ministry of Environment is asking hunters to help monitor the spread and intensity of Chronic Wasting Disease, a fatal, infectious central nervous system disease that can affect wild deer, elks, moose and caribou.

Hunters  are asked to submit the heads of harvested animals for disease testing, free of charge.

Here in the southwest corner of the province the disease has been very prevalent, as Provincial Wildlife Health Specialist with the Ministry of Environment, Iga Stasiak explains.

"We have had Chronic Wasting Disease in this area for several decades. So, sort of north of that Swift Current area in the Sask Landing area. So it is quite wide spread. In some areas we believe the prevalence is quite high, around  30%. We have done a lot of testing in this area."

Stasiak says hunters can help reduce the spread of CWD through proper disposal of deer carcass waste and should avoid transporting a carcass from the area where it was taken. Also she says not to practice Baiting and Feeding. And, although no human cases of CWD have ever been identified, hunters should not eat, or distribute for human consumption, the meat or other parts from animals that have not been tested or that are found to be CWD positive.

Chronic Wasting Disease was first discovered in wild mule deer in 2000, and has now been confirmed in 44 of Saskatchewan's 83 Wildlife Management Zones.

Hunters can submit their heads for testing at a number of designated drop-off locations across the province throughout the hunting season.

For a list of drop-off sites and more information go to www.cwdsk.ca/