Dear Editor,
I read the CWD story, on page 5 of the 19 October Bitterroot Star hunting supplement with considerable interest. Your story specified that CWD disease has been confirmed in wild game of several states, but not Montana. Further, the story specifies that CWD is a rare brain disease that causes big game animals to eventually die and belongs to a family of diseases like mad cow disease in cattle, scrapie in sheep, and Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD) in humans. The reason for my interest is described below.
My brother, Jim Haslip, lived in East Helena, Montana. Jim was an avid big game hunter and consumer of deer and particularly elk meat obtained from successful hunting in the nearby mountains including the Elkhorns. Jim was diagnosed with CJD and subsequently died in August of last year. Jim’s family and doctors have no way of knowing how he contracted the disease. However, I thought it would be appropriate to inform the public about his history.
Jerry Haslip
Victor