EDMONTON, Alberta (Apr 29, 1996 2:00 p.m. EDT) -- An elk raised on a ranch near Regina, Saskatchewan, is believed to be the first ranch
animal in North America diagnosed with a disease similar to mad cow disease.
The animal, which was slaughtered in January, had Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE), a disease sometimes found in wild elk,
according to the Canadian agriculture department.
TSE is similar to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease.
Dr. George Luterbach, manager of animal health for Saskatchewan and Manitoba, said there is no evidence that the elk disease can be
passed to cattle or humans.
"Despite studies in the United States since 1967, there's never been a case of it spreading to cattle," Luterbach said Saturday. "Nobody has
ever gotten sick from it."
However, Luterbach said 23 other elk on the ranch will be destroyed as a precaution. The Saskatchewan elk was imported from South
Dakota.
In Canada, elk are raised primarily for their velvet antlers, which are sold for medicines and aphrodisiacs in Asia. They are not slaughtered
for meat.
Colorado wildlife officials say a disease similar to mad cow disease has been found in elk and deer living in the wilds in Larimer County. The
first case of the ailment was documented about 14 years ago in northern Colorado.
In Britain, a government report linking mad cow disease to 10 cases of a fatal brain disease in humans has raised fears that the disease can
be spread by eating beef. There have been calls for a massive slaughter of British cattle.
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