General Precautions:

Hunters should look for signs of sickness in animals before they shoot, such as:

• poor condition (weak, sluggish, thin, or lame),

• swellings or lumps, hair loss, blood, or discharges from the nose or mouth,

• abnormal behaviour (loss of  fear of people, aggressiveness).

• Do not cut into diseased parts.
   

• Wash your hands, knives and clothes in hot soapy water after you finish and disinfect with a weak bleach solution.
   

• If meat from an infected animal can be eaten, cook meat thoroughly until it is no longer pink and juice from the meat is clear.
   

• Do not feed parts of infected animals to dogs.

It is important to report all wildlife diseases.

When Collecting Samples You Should:

• Wear rubber gloves to protect yourself.
   

• Place each sample in a separate plastic bag.
   

• Unless otherwise noted, samples should be submitted frozen or kept cool.
   

• Record the following information:
   

• Date and location collected,
   

• Type of animal,
   

• Sex and estimated age of the animal 
   

• Description of the sample
   

• Any other conditions that may be important (e.g.. unusual weather, signs of a struggle).

• The disease form provided can be used to record your information.