From staff reports
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, announced it is restricting wildlife feeding on the Allegheny National Forest for one year because of chronic wasting disease (CWD).
The restriction will be in place for one year and only applies to activities on National Forest System lands.
On May 26, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture confirmed a captive white-tailed deer on a Warren County hunting preserve tested positive for CWD, a highly contagious neurological disease that affects members of the deer, or cervid, family and is always fatal to the animals it infects, according to the Forest Service.
The order prohibits feeding wildlife or laying or placing any food, fruit, hay, grain, chemical, salt, or other minerals on the Allegheny National Forest.
Exceptions would be made for:
• Placing a bird feeder in a developed campground, unless such bird feeder has been identified as being visited by other wildlife species.
• People or groups with a permit specifically authorizing the otherwise prohibited act or omission.
According to the Forest Service, the feeding of deer can amplify the transmission of diseases like CWD and result in long-term habitat destruction, increased vehicle collisions, habituation to humans, alteration of normal behavioral patterns, and pose risks to other wildlife.
If needed, similar short or long-term restrictions could be considered after the one-year restriction order lapses.