Knowledge Keeper and Hunter Robin Louie is worried.
They fear the terrifying arrival of chronic wasting disease in their territory in the southern Kootenays, further damaging their people’s food security, traditional knowledge and culture.
“This is a serious problem,” said Louis, executive director of the Ktunaxa National Council, which includes four First Nations.
“Our people generally eat a lot of wild game.”
On Tuesday, B.C. first set of new rules Trying to stop the spread, also known as CWD zombie deer diseaseafter Two deer spotted recently There was a positive test south of Cranbrook.
This deadly neurological disease has no cure, affects cervids such as elk, deer, elk, and caribou, and is nearly impossible to eradicate once established in wild populations.
The disease, which is caused by abnormal proteins (prions) that collect in the brain, spine, and lymph nodes, causes animals in its late stages to become extremely emaciated and exhibit strange behaviors such as stumbling, drooling, and increased drinking and urination. indicate.
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The province is monitoring the progress of the disease from west and south of the U.S. border with increased vigilance, especially after infections were recently detected in animal populations within 50 kilometers of B.C.’s border with Alberta and Montana. There is.
The disease has far-reaching social, economic, and conservation implications, especially for indigenous peoples who rely on hunting for the state’s traditional foods. The 2023 CWD Response Plan states:.
CWD, also known as zombie deer disease, poses potential health concerns and far-reaching social, economic, and environmental impacts, especially for indigenous peoples who rely on hunting for traditional food. .
U.S. research shows the disease is causing deer and elk declines in some areas. Disease in the population reaches 20% Each was 13 percent of the animals.
Endangered caribou populations The response plan says they are more likely to get sick and have a harder time recovering.
of The three southernmost herds of endangered southern caribou in Ktunaxa territory It is already extinct due to the impact of human activities on its habitat.
Elk in the region are also under increasing pressure from similar threats, including logging, road construction, climate change, wildfires and recreational hunters who pull elk tags, Louis said.
“We haven’t hunted elk in six years because of the low numbers,” said Louie, who is also a Yakan Nukii (Lower Kootenay Band) councilor.
Louis said when he was younger, he would harvest three or four elk a year. Therefore, potential threats to the deer and elk populations on which the band depends are a concern, he stressed.
“We always worry that moose and deer will do the same thing someday.”
Access to traditional foods is essentially food security, Louis said, adding that the Yakan Nuki people rely heavily on wild game.
“Typically, this community eats about 30 elk and 60 deer a year, but we are a small community with just over 100 people living on reserve,” he said.
“That’s quite a meal.”
The harvest game is also fundamental to the culture, tradition and identity of his country and family, said Louie, who hunts with his children, other young people and non-Indigenous people. He also talks about the preparations, rituals, and spiritual relationship the Yakan Nuki people have with animals and their land.
“My job now is to be a knowledge keeper and pass on what I have learned from my elders and older family members,” Louis said.
“All of our cultural knowledge has to do with animals.”
Youth will learn how to skin and process meat, hide, sinew, bones, and antlers for other uses and tools.
Meat is also medicine for the community, he said.
Sick people will request specific parts of the animal, such as fresh heart, kidney, or liver, depending on their illness.
In honor of a successful hunt, the young are offered a portion of the fresh catch as part of a traditional ceremony.
“When we kill an animal, we offer the kidney and the heart to the children and say a word, and the children choose to become hunters or warriors or both,” Louis said.
“If we are unable to inherit our traditional customs, our culture will begin to disappear and has already been severely affected for many years.”
Indigenous peoples’ heavy reliance on wild game meat may also mean increased potential health risks from eating meat from infected deer, elk, elk, and caribou.
So far, there is no evidence that CWD has made the jump from animals to humans, with fatal consequences like mad cow disease (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). A type of prion degenerative brain disease — after surfacing in British cattle in the mid-1980s.
Because of the Unknown risks to humansCanadian public health officials warn Do not touch or eat infected animals.
Some animals may not show symptoms, so hunters in areas where CWD is occurring should undergo a meat inspection before using or consuming anything. state of federal authority.
BC’s preliminary defense against CWD in the center We are confirming details in the area where the first confirmed case was found and working to minimize the spread of infection.
On Tuesday, the prefecture I ordered them not to cause any traffic accidents. Moose, deer, moose, and caribou in the immediate vicinity must be inspected. There are also restrictions on the transportation and disposal of corpses.
The hot zone for the disease includes south of Highway 3 and south of Cranbook to the U.S. border, west to the Moie Mountains and east to the McDonald Mountains.
Submitting Inspection of deer heads for CWD testing has become mandatory Since 2019, it has targeted licensed hunters in high-risk areas along the southeastern Kootenays border. Harvesters with Convention Rights Their territories did not necessarily impose all the same requirements as licensed hunters.
Louis said the next step is to hold briefings and discussions with Ktunaxa members about the arrival of CWD on their territory.
“We would consider submitting necks more often,” he said.
However, waiting for test results can be a burden.
Communities hunt when they need food, but can’t necessarily store the meat or wait for test results before eating it, he added.
“No one takes more elk and deer than us, so I really hope the government focuses on developing some sort of rapid test.”
But Louis remains confident in Yakan Nukii’s ability to track outbreaks in animals, gather vital information about transmission and work with conservation authorities to tackle problems.
Although licensed and formal hunters are typically only able to see animals during the hunting season, their communities interact with and harvest animals on land year-round.
Louis said the strong relationship with deer and elk populations means the country has a solid understanding of their behavior and movement patterns.
“We monitor the animals so thoroughly that we know where they come from, what their schedules are like, and the routes they travel,” he said. Ta.
“If they go somewhere they shouldn’t be or if they start acting irrationally, we pay close attention.”
Rochelle Baker / Local Journalism Initiative / Canadian National Observer
