LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says one elk taken so far in the fall hunting season has tested positive for chronic wasting disease.
The commission said Wednesday that 52 elk have been harvested during the season and the elk that tested positive is a bull that was taken on private land in southwestern Searcy County.
Elk program coordinator Wes Wright said more than 90 elk have been tested since February when the first confirmed case of chronic wasting disease was found in Arkansas in an elk in Newton County. He said the low number of positive tests is better news than expected.
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The commission is also testing samples of harvested deer.
Chronic wasting is a neurological disease that affects animals such as deer, elk and moose.