Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A)
All captive deer,
three hundred sixty-five days of age or older which die from injury, illness,
slaughter, hunting, or any other cause, shall:
(1)
Be reported
within twenty-four hours of discovery to an approved accredited veterinarian or
if not available, the chief, division of animal health or his representative;
and
(2)
Be tested for chronic wasting disease.
(B)
Owners
of all captive whitetail deer being tested for chronic wasting disease shall,
within seven days of the death or discovery of a deceased captive whitetail
deer, submit to the Department the following:
(1)
CWD Submission
form signed by an accredited veterinarian. The form is available at the
Department's website
www.agri.ohio.gov;
(2)
The deceased cervid's obex;
(3)
The deceased
cervid's two retropharyngeal lymph nodes; and
(4)
Until December
31, 2020, the owner of the captive whitetail deer must submit the animal's
official identification device and a piece of fresh tissue that has not been
placed in formalin.
(a)
If there are multiple official identification devices,
only one device must have tissue attached.
(b)
All official
identification devices must be submitted to the department.
(c)
If the animal
does not have an official identification device at time of death, one must be
issued and accompany the sample.
(5)
Effective January
1, 2021, the owner of the captive whitetail deer must submit the animal's
official identification device and a piece of fresh ear tissue that was
directly attached to the animal's official identification device at the time of
the animal's death.
(a)
For the purposes of this rule, "ear tissue" is defined
as skin tissue of the ear or tissue surrounding the base of the
ear.
(b)
The piece of fresh ear tissue that is connected to the
official identification device shall not be placed in formalin.
(c)
If there are
multiple official identification devices, only one device must have tissue
attached.
(d)
All official identification devices must be submitted
to the department.
(e)
If the animal does not have an official identification
device at time of death, one must be issued and accompany the
sample.
(C)
The owner of all
captive whitetail deer being tested for chronic wasting disease, is responsible
for arranging for the submission of the required brain tissue and any other
tissues as directed by the chief, division of animal health or his
representative, to a department approved laboratory for chronic wasting disease
testing. Owners are responsible for the cost of collecting, submitting, and
testing of samples.
(D)
Poor quality, missing, and untimely samples.
(1)
The approved
accredited veterinarian shall determine the quality of tissue samples to be
collected and provide comments as to that quality.
(2)
If tissues
associated with a captive whitetail deer death are not submitted for laboratory
diagnosis due to postmortem changes or unavailability, the chief, division of
animal health or his representative shall be notified in writing by the
veterinarian within seven days of that conclusion.
(3)
Except for as
described in paragraph (D)(4) of this rule, facilities that submit poor
quality, missing, or untimely samples may be immediately quarantined by the
department.
(a)
Facilities may be released from quarantine upon the submission of a new,
testable post-mortem sample.
(b)
The new sample
must be of the same species and have come from an animal that has resided in
the herd for at least as long as the poor quality, missing, or untimely sample.
In the case that the deceased animal was in the facility for more than five
years, any animal that resided on the facility for more than five years may be
submitted for testing.
(c)
Should a facility submit more than one poor quality,
missing, or untimely sample in the same submission, the facility must submit
new, testable post-mortem samples equal to or greater than the original poor
quality, missing, or untimely samples.
(4)
Hunting preserves
that submit poor quality, missing, or untimely samples of harvested animals
shall be quarantined seven days after receiving notice of the poor quality,
missing, or untimely sample by the department.
(a)
Hunting preserves
will not be not be quarantined after seven days or if a quarantine was issued,
the hunting preserve will be released from that quarantine, if the hunting
preserve submits a new, testable post-mortem sample.
(b)
Unless
specifically permitted by the department, the new sample must be of the same
species and have come from an animal that has resided in the herd for at least
as long as the poor quality, missing, or untimely sample.
(c)
Should a hunting
preserve submit more than one poor quality, missing, or untimely sample in the
same submission, the facility must submit new, testable post-mortem samples
equal to or greater than the original poor quality, missing, or untimely
samples.