By Dan Strumpf

March 19, 2002 Scientists in Rocky Mountain National Park are looking to halt the spread of chronic wasting disease after tests last week confirmed elk and deer populations in the park have contracted the fatal ailment.

Only a handful of the park's 3000 elk and 400 mule deer have tested positive for the contagious condition, but park officials say steps need to be taken to find out more about how the disease works if they're to keep it in check.

"This is a significant concern at this point," said Kyle Patterson, a park administrator. "We want to find out more about the disease and it's prevalence in the park."

Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, is similar to mad cow disease in that it attacks the animal's brain and central nervous system, destroying healthy tissue. Infected animals, usually adults, may exhibit unusual behavior including listlessness, excessive salivation, and hyperexcitability. Fatal in all cases, the animals usually die of severe weight loss. While biologists are aware of how the disease affects infected animals, they have yet to discover its origin or mode of transmission.

Since 1967, when the disease was first discovered in mule deer populations at a wildlife research facility in northern Colorado, both wild and farmed elk and deer herds have tested positive for CWD in states as far east as Wisconsin and north into the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. But cases of CWD have been found only in Rocky Mountain Elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and black-tailed deer. So far, research suggests it cannot be transmitted to other wild or domestic cud-chewing species like domestic cattle, sheep, and mountain goats.

Three known infected elk have died of CWD in Rocky Mountain National Park since the disease was first detected there in 1981. The three elk herds are a major attraction for the more than three million people who visit the 265,000-acre park each year.

Dr. Margaret Wild, a veterinarian for the National Park Service, said that while she does not expect herds to be significantly depleted in the near future she is worried that the disease will spread to other areas.

"I'm concerned about Wind Cave National Park as well," she said. "We should be thinking about all of the other parks and protecting all of our wildlife from disease if we can."

Colorado authorities have attempted to contain the disease by thinning wild herd numbers, imposing quarantines, and destroying animals suspected of carrying CWD. Because the disease can only be discovered in elk using postmortem tests and can take years to affect animals, many cases may still be undetected.

Scientists estimate that five percent of the deer and one percent of the elk in the park have contracted CWD.

Rocky Mountain National Park is currently seeking $180,000 in funds to continue testing for the disease.

Meanwhile, rangers in the park will euthanize animals suspected of having CWD in an effort to control further contamination.

"Right now we are at a monitoring level," said Mary Kay Watry, a biologist at Rocky Mountain National Park. "Since this is going to be an issue for a number of years we anticipate creating a CWD management plan."

Dr. Wild said that at this point nobody has a grasp of what the future of the disease may hold.

"We don't know everything about this disease," said Wild. "There is no data that says it can spread to humans or livestock but scientifically we just can't say. We don't know what is going to happen for sure"