The DPP’s History
The ATA launched this program in response to CWD, a contagious neurological disease that affects North America’s deer, elk and moose. CWD was first documented in Colorado in the late 1960s. It has since been detected in 23 states, including Mississippi, which discovered its first case Jan. 25, 2018, when a doe killed in Issaquena County tested positive for the disease.
CWD is thought to be transmitted by infectious proteins called prions. Prion-related diseases are 100 percent fatal and cannot be treated. Unlike many wildlife diseases, CWD is extremely difficult to detect. Testing is relatively difficult, and there’s no convenient way to test live animals for the disease.
As the threat of CWD increased nationwide in recent years, state wildlife agencies focused on monitoring for its presence, and enforcing policies to prevent its spread. Those efforts include restrictions on moving carcasses and live animals from infected areas. Some states also adopted regulations that prohibit the use of urine-based scents, fearing these scent products could spread CWD if the fluids came from an infected source.
Although CWD prions have been found in the urine of infected deer, researchers have not proven a connection between urine-based scents and CWD’s spread. Regardless, the ATA worked with ATA-member scent manufacturers, urine providers, wildlife-disease experts and wildlife-agency staff to create the Deer Protection Program. The DPP imposes restrictions and guidelines for urine-production facilities and scent manufacturers, further reducing the already low risk of spreading CWD with scent-based products.