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– This is serious for the Norwegian wild reindeer population, says Executive Director Ingunn Midtun Godal of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority in a press release.
They were notified of the discovery by the Veterinary Institute on Thursday night.
Norwegian authorities have been aiming to prevent the spread and completely eliminate the serious animal disease since the first case was discovered in 2016.
In the winter of 2017 and 2018, the entire wild reindeer population in zone 1 in Nordfjella was euthanized after scrapie was discovered. More than 2,000 wild reindeer were killed in the state shooting.
Large population of wild reindeer
In 2019, a harvest quota of 6,000 wild reindeer was approved in Hardangervidda to find out if the deadly disease had spread there.
We have long had a great fear that scrapie would spread to this area, because the wild reindeer population in Hardangervidda National Park is by far the largest. Of Norway’s 25,000 wild reindeer, 10,000 live here.
After several tests with a negative response, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has received a disappointing response. We are talking about the classic and contagious variant of scrapie that has been tested.
– This is a terribly sad day for the wild reindeer population, says Senior Advisor Petter Braaten of NRK’s Norwegian Environmental Protection Agency.
He was the leader of the logging project in Nordfjella.
– This may be a sign that we were unable to isolate the disease in this area. We were hoping this wouldn’t happen, but it’s sad nonetheless. Now we may have to rethink what can happen.
– SAD: Petter Braaten from the Norwegian Environmental Protection Agency was the leader of the logging project in Nordfjella. He says scrapie finding at Hardangervidda is sad.
Photo: Håvard Nesbø
Unknown route of infection
This is the first time scrapie has been detected in wild reindeer outside of Nordfjella.
It is not known how the wild reindeer goat became infected and therefore it is not known whether the infection has spread from Nordfjella or whether the wild reindeer goat has been infected in another way.
The infected wild reindeer was killed in the southern part of Hardangervidda National Park, in Vinje in Telemark, the NRK was informed. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is in contact with the hunter.
Following the discovery of scrapie in Nordfjella, the entire population died. What happens to the wild reindeer population in Hardangervidda is uncertain.
– When we have now discovered a case outside Nordfjella, the situation is different and we must consider what measures will be taken in the future. It is too early to say what action we will take, Godal says, but adds that they are considering intensifying the slaughter of wild reindeer in Hardangervidda.
– Did the shooting in Nordfjella fail?
– No, we are sure that the strategy we chose then was the correct one based on what we knew then, Godal responds.
Since 2016, more than 100,000 deer samples have been analyzed, with no findings of this scrapie variant outside of Nordfjella.
3,500 samples come from Hardangervidda, 518 of them from this year’s hunt, according to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.
You must consider the city felling
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority recalls that hunters in Hardangervidda must note the location of the slaughter of wild reindeer, so that they can trace the slaughter remains if the animal turns out to be infected.
Scrapie is fatal to animals, but has not been detected in humans. There is little risk of infection from animals to humans, but for the sake of safety, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority says that you should not eat meat from infected animals.
Godal emphasizes that they still have a strong desire to ensure healthy populations of wild reindeer and other deer, and it is clear even if a new case is discovered.
