Urban deer a target as B.C. government, cities try to curb wasting disease

The B.C. government along with the southeastern cities of Cranbrook and Kimberley say they’ll try to limit the spread of chronic wasting disease with a targeted cull and testing of urban deer.Five cases have been confirmed in southeast B.C. in the last year for the disease that is fatal and affects species in the deer family, including mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, moose and caribou.A statement from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship says the risk of spread is higher in urban deer because of population density, and two cities are of special concern because of their proximity to the areas where the infected deer were found.