Escaped domestic elk in eastern Idaho tests negative for chronic wasting disease

A domestic elk that escaped from an eastern Idaho domestic elk facility and was killed by a hunter outside of the facility’s fence has tested negative for chronic wasting disease, state officials said.

Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, is a fatal and contagious neurological disease that threatens hooved mammals, such as elk and deer.

The disease is a threat to domestic and wild animals, according to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.

“We tested it for CWD and it came back negative – that was the biggest concern right there,” Idaho Department of Fish and Game spokesman Roger Phillips said Wednesday.

Phillips said it is extremely rare for a domestic elk to escape from a fenced facility in Idaho and be shot by a hunter. He said he is not aware of any other such instances, and said