Elk are free of disease

So far, none of the animals that escaped from a hunting preserve has tested positive for illnesses.

By MATTHEW EVANS
mattevans@postregister.com

Test results continue to trickle in, but so far, all of the elk that bolted from a Fremont County hunting preserve have a clean bill of health.

Of 36 carcasses undergoing testing for a host of illnesses -- chronic wasting disease, brucellosis, tuberculosis and red deer hybrid genes -- none has tested positive, said Wayne Hoffman,

spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture.

The animals were among dozens that escaped in mid-August from Chief Joseph Idaho. Gov. Jim Risch ordered the animals slaughtered in early September, fearing they were a threat to the health of the region's wild elk herds.

Conservation officers with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and hunters have killed almost 40 of the animals. Tissue samples from those elk are being tested.

Here's the breakdown:

n Of the 22 subjected to CWD testing, results reveal 20 don't have the disease. The results from two tests are pending, and the others haven't been tested.

n Of the 26 animals tested for brucellosis, 25 were negative, the result of one test is pending and the others have not been tested.

n Of the 61 live elk tested on the preserve, none tested positive for brucellosis or tuberculosis.

Rex Rammell, the Rexburg resident who owned the preserve but recently sold it, was not surprised by the results.

"I knew they were negative; we tested them," Rammell said. "The only way they'd come up with a positive result was if they planted one. ... I think a few people owe the elk industry and me some apologies -- Fish and Game, Governor Risch and some local guys."

It looks like there will be no apologies, however.

Risch's spokesman, Brad Hoaglun, said the governor doesn't regret his decision to order the animals killed.

"Absolutely not," he said. "We hoped that there was nothing there, but it was a situation where we had to check and have these animals tested. Certainly, this is good news."

Steve Schmidt, Fish and Game's regional supervisor in Idaho Falls, agreed.

"We've been keeping our fingers crossed that the test results would come back negative," he said. "If they come back positive, we'd have a real situation on our hands."

Rammell plans to sue the state over the matter. Risch's order put him out of business, he said. He's sold the ranch and plans to sell his remaining elk.

"I feel we have a very strong case," he said. "But it's difficult to sue the state, and expensive."