The WDHA's mission and objectives include sound wildlife management to protect our wild deer herd. Because of documented disease concerns and other issues such as genetic pollution due to hybridization, privatization of wildlife, and public perception of so called shooting preserves the WDHA is opposed to the captivity of deer and elk for commercial exploitation.

The WDHA believes:

• Wisconsin should enact a permanent moratorium on new game farms and prohibit the repopulation of existing farms where indemnity payments have been made.

• Oversight of game farms should be returned to the control of the DNR.

Here are a few tidbits of information:

• Bovine TB has recently been found on over 40 game farms in 18 states. It has been found on at least 4 Wisconsin game farms in the last 5 years. The impacts of a TB outbreak in wildlife on our agriculture industry are enormous.

• A CWD infected elk has been found as far away as South Korea, and the source was traced back to importation of animals from a CWD infected Canadian game farm. Because of game farms CWD is now a world wide problem, and may impact other deer species.

• The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has been concerned about game farms for a long time. Their position statement can be found here.