Improve the management of chronic wasting disease-affected wild cervid populations

Recipient will double the number of chronic wasting disease samples or surveillance points collected from the 1-mile radius in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24; meet or exceed county quotas in the enhanced surveillance zone (ESZ); meet or exceed county sampling quotas in the rest of the state of florida (outside of the ESZ); continue communication and coordination with internal and external stakeholders regarding chronic wasting disease response and surveillance efforts; and continue to enhance chronic wasting disease reporting capabilities and quality assurance and quality control measures regarding chronic wasting disease data management. This project will to establish whether the epicenter of infection is within the approximate home range of the initial positive deer; determine the geographic distribution and prevalence of chronic wasting disease in the counties surrounding the initial positive deer; accomplish early detection of other pockets of chronic wasting disease infection in florida; prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease, increase and better distribute the surveillance, provide for public safety by communicating the importance of chronic wasting disease testing before consumption of venison, and otherwise promote public support for recipient's chronic wasting disease surveillance and management; and provide reliable results to hunters regarding chronic wasting disease test results and to managers attempting to contain the outbreak. All white-tailed deer stakeholders in florida, as well as southern alabama and georgia, will benefit from the project outcomes. These stakeholders include deer hunters, large landowners, depredation, antlerless deer permit holders, captive cervid owners, and taxidermists and processors. Recipient will contract with the university of wisconsin veterinary diagnostic laboratory (WVDL) or other certified laboratories to perform chronic wasting disease enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing.