Chronic wasting disease undermines efforts to control the spread of brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Abstract

Wildlife diseases pose a substantial threat to the provisioning of ecosystem services. We use a novel modeling approach to study the potential loss of these services through the imminent introduction of chronic wasting disease (CWD) to elk populations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). A specific concern is that concentrating elk at feedgrounds may exacerbate the spread of CWD, whereas eliminating feedgrounds may increase the number of elk on private ranchlands and the transmission of a second disease, brucellosis, from elk to cattle. To evaluate the consequences of management strategies given the threat of two concurrent wildlife diseases, we develop a spatiotemporal bioeconomic model. GPS data from elk and landscape attributes are used to predict migratory behavior and population densities with and without supplementary feeding. We use a 4,800 km2 area around Pinedale, Wyoming containing four existing feedgrounds as a case study. For this area, we simulate welfare estimates under a variety of management strategies. Our results indicate that continuing to feed elk could result in substantial welfare losses for the case‐study region. Therefore, to maximize the present value of economic net benefits generated by the local elk population upon CWD’s arrival in the region, wildlife managers may wish to consider discontinuing elk feedgrounds while simultaneously developing new methods to mitigate the financial impact to ranchers of possible brucellosis transmission to livestock. More generally, our methods can be used to weigh the costs and benefits of human‐wildlife interactions in the presence of multiple disease risks.

Where have all the flowers gone? A call for federal leadership in deer management in the United States

“…One example is chronic wasting disease (CWD) a debilitating disease of the nervous system (ataxia), facilitated by high deer populations, that results in slow agonizing deaths in affected ungulates. Shipments of infected animals from captive deer herds led to its rapid spread (Escobar et al, 2020;Maloney et al, 2020). CWD receives enormous attention as a potential threat to human health, because it is broadly similar to Creutzfed-Jacob (or BSE) disease, although there are no reported cases of deer-human transmission (Williams et al, 2002).…”

A behavioral economic assessment of the role of stakeholder preferences in managing an infectious wildlife disease

“…The dynamics of CWD management increase the importance of ensuring stakeholder confidence in the efficacy of policies which may only bear fruit in the long‐term horizon, especially if the costs to stakeholders in the short run are high. Postinfection dynamics following disease establishment, as well as the interactions of simultaneous management approaches for multiple wildlife diseases, can also impact which management strategies are optimal, requiring managers to continually evaluate the short‐ and long‐term viability of various strategies (Horan and Wolf 2005, Fenichel et al 2010, Maloney et al 2020). The complexities of postinfection dynamics and management strategy interaction pose an additional challenge to managers in formulating CWD control strategies over varying time horizons, which depend on stakeholder support and participation.…”

Where we stand on chronic wasting disease: A systematic literature review of its prevalence patterns, impacts, and management interventions

“…As there is no cure for CWD, it is difficult to eradicate it once the disease becomes established in an area despite the preventive measures. Surveillance and disease management are the only options to detect, manage, and reduce the transmission of prions [ [33] , [34] , [35] ]. The management of the disease is complex because of the nature of the disease and the wide range of stakeholders affected including deer hunters, private landowners, government agencies, and non-hunting local residents [ 36 , 37 ].…”