The Manitoba Wildlife Branch has launched helicopter aerial surveys across the Municipality of Swan Valley West, Manitoba, to count deer and assess the risk and spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). These low-altitude flights began in late January 2026 and are scheduled to continue through February, weather permitting, as biologists map deer density and distribution in the area.
The flights are a direct response to new detections the province announced on Dec. 22, 2025, confirming the first CWD cases in the Rural Municipality of Swan Valley West. Among the five new cases reported by the province was a mule deer in Game Hunting Area (GHA) 13A, prompting closer surveillance of local deer groups and nearby corridors.
Provincial officials and public-health authorities say CWD is not known to pose a human health risk. However, Health Canada and the Government of Canada recommendations — reiterated by provincial wildlife health officials in media coverage — advise against consuming meat from animals that have tested positive for CWD or from animals that have not been tested. The aerial surveys are intended to identify high-risk areas where deer congregate and where transmission between animals is more likely.
Information gathered from the flights will help the province determine possible management measures. Those measures could include changes to hunting seasons or mandatory tissue/head submission for CWD testing within a designated management zone, as has been done in previous detection areas. Testing identifies infected animals; public guidance on consumption is based on testing results and national recommendations.
Residents in rural areas of Swan Valley West can expect to see helicopters operating at low altitudes during daylight hours while crews carry out transects to estimate deer numbers. For more information on the surveillance effort or current case counts, visit the Manitoba CWD website and dashboard or contact the provincial CWD mailbox at CWD@gov.mb.ca.
