DAMASCUS, PA — A captive elk has reportedly escaped from an animal hunting facility in Damascus, raising concerns due to the presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the area. Jeff Dexter, the Upper Delaware Council Damascus representative, reported the  matter to the Damascus Township Board of Supervisors at a November 17 meeting. 

Dexter also reported that another sighting of an elk on the loose was reported to have been in the Equinunk area. 

According to minutes from the October 21 meeting of the Upper Delaware Council Water Use and Resource Management Committee, Town of Tusten member Evan Padua told the committee an elk currently was in Sullivan County after escaping and crossing the river from PA. It had escaped one of the two high-fence farms in northern Wayne County, said Padua. 

“Padua said we don’t know the Elk has CWD but there was an animal it was in captivity with that tested positive for CWD,” read the minutes. 

Elk are not native to this area but have been imported by captive animal facilities for the purpose of hunting. There have been reports of animals escaping from these facilities.

The Damascus Township website mentions that the irresponsible import and management of so-called exotic animals has been linked to CWD.

CWD is a fatal neurological condition that affects cervid species, which include deer, elk, caribou and moose. Pennsylvania’s first cases of CWD were found in 2012. Since then, a total of 10 Disease Management Areas (DMAs) have been established across the commonwealth, aiming to control the spread of the disease. 

DMA 10 was established in April, after the detection of CWD in a captive deer. It covers all of Manchester Township and parts of Buckingham, Preston, Mount Pleasant, Lebanon and Damascus townships. For more information, see riverreporter.com/stories/chronic-wasting-disease,209033?

According to the Damascus Township website, “Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) infects deer herds and is fatal to the deer. Harvested deer parts cannot be removed from this area. Feeding of deer is strictly prohibited. Meat from infected animals should not be be consumed by eating. This is a serious problem caused by irresponsible hunting services that bring exotic animals into a fenced-in area for a hunt, and is exacerbated by deer feeders.” 

The River Reporter spoke to Ed Lagarenne, Damascus Township zoning and code enforcement officer, about the elk matter and CWD in PA. He said that the ban on feeding of deer in our area was due to the local outbreak of chronic wasting disease and that the elk had escaped from the Moonshine Ranch property off Spruce Swamp Road in Damascus Township, and that Moonshine Ranch had another property off Whitleigh Road (Equinunk, PA). 

Lagarenne said that CWD is easily spread from animal droppings in wooded areas, as the deer eat vegetation at ground level, and that any property of this kind should have a double fence on the outer perimeter to prevent close contact between local wildlife and the imported animals. He also mentioned the red stag that was found to be infected in this area. 

Red deer are, like elk, not native to this area, but are found in Europe and Asia, as well as the Atlas Mountains in northern Africa. They are sometimes imported here as exotic animals to hunt. 

Upcoming public hearings

The public hearing in the matter of the proposed conditional use request for a solar energy development was postponed at the request of developer Solar Renewable Energy LLC, to Monday, December 15 at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Damascus Township municipal building, 60 Conklin Road, Damascus, PA. This will be the opportunity for the public to have input on the issue of this proposal.

The proposed project will be at 1205 Cochecton Turnpike in Damascus. Further information can be found at the township website: damascustwp.org/pubhear.html, or at riverreporter.com/stories/new-solar-project-proposed-for-damascus,220562.

The other upcoming public hearing has not been formally scheduled. One likely date would be during the third week of January, at the regularly scheduled board of supervisors meeting, but the River Reporter will report on this when it is scheduled.

This will be the hearing regarding the driveway ordinance (Ordinance 2019-2) and the update of the yard sign ordinance. The driveway ordinance is to be updated to address the issue of stormwater runoff from existing driveways and damaged or insufficient culvert pipes as well as providing a timeframe for the owners to have the problem fixed. Past discussion of the Damascus Township sign ordinance has considered whether the township needs to revise that ordinance, specifically the section regarding political signs.

Editor's note: This article as initially published misstated the name of the Moonshine Ranch.