Report Elk Hoof Disease to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Website

By Vanessa Torres

Oregon -(Ammoland.com)- ODFW is asking hunters and others in northwest Oregon to be on the lookout for limping elk that may have hoof disease.

Report any sightings to the ODFW’s elk hoof disease online reporting page http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/health_program/elk_hoof_disease/ or call or email ODFW’s Wildlife Health Lab (1-866-968-2600 / [email protected]).

Elk hoof disease is a bacterial infection that causes severe lameness in elk. Elk with the disease have deformed and overgrown or broken sloughed hooves and other hoof abnormalities related to the infection (see photos).

ODFW’s veterinary staff requests that hunters who harvest elk with infected or overgrown hooves save the damaged hooves and contact the ODFW Wildlife Health Laboratory (1-866-968-2600 / [email protected]) to arrange collection of the hooves. Hoof disease does not affect the meat of elk harvested by hunters and poses no risk to human health. However, lame elk may be in poorer body condition and appear thin.

The elk hoof disease online reporting page was launched during last year’s hunting season and received a number of observations submitted by …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand