 The ban includes food, salt, mineral blocks and other food products,
with some exceptions. For example, bird and squirrel feeders close
to homes and incidental feeding of wildlife within active livestock
operations are exempt from the ban. The ban also does not prevent
individuals from planting food plots. For a complete list of the
exemptions, see the administrative rule outlined in 17 Illinois
Administrative Code Part 635 at
http://dnr.state.il.us/legal/adopted/635.pdf.
[To download Adobe Acrobat Reader for
the PDF file, click
here.]"Feeding deer or other wildlife may seem like a
great idea and may even give someone the sense that they are helping
these animals find food during harsh winter months, but that
couldn't be further from the truth," said IDNR Acting Director Sam
Flood. "The fact is, areas where deer congregate have the potential
to contribute to the spread of diseases that are transmitted by
animal-to-animal contact, including CWD and bovine tuberculosis.
Eliminating the feeding of wild deer will help control the spread of
CWD and other diseases among these animals."
Feed stores, pet stores and other retail outlets are also advised
not to promote the sale of salt blocks, grain or other feed for wild
deer.
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 Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disease found in
deer and elk. The disease affects the brains of infected animals,
causing the animals to become emaciated, display abnormal behavior,
lose coordination and eventually die.
It is not known to be contagious to livestock or humans.
CWD has been diagnosed in wild, free-ranging deer and elk, as
well as in captive animals in a number of Western states for many
years. The first confirmed cases of CWD in wild deer in Illinois
were detected in Boone and Winnebago counties in 2002. To date, a
total of 189 deer have tested positive for CWD in Illinois. Many of
the affected animals were found or harvested by hunters in Boone,
Winnebago, McHenry, DeKalb, LaSalle and Ogle counties.
The Department of Natural Resources continues to collect tissue
samples from wild deer for CWD testing. As part of the surveillance
and monitoring effort, hunters in northern Illinois are asked to
voluntarily provide tissues samples from deer they are harvesting
during the archery and firearm deer seasons this fall and winter.
"We appreciate the cooperation of hunters and other Illinois
citizens in combating the spread of CWD," Flood said. "Sampling deer
taken by hunters is an extremely important part of this effort. So
is the voluntary cooperation of landowners and other Illinois
residents in not feeding wild deer. Setting out feed or a salt block
that attracts deer could accelerate the spread of CWD."
[Text from
Illinois
Department of Natural Resources news release received from the
Illinois Office of Communication and Information]
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