Revisions Made to Captive Cervid Licenses and Permits RALEIGH, NC- The N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission has approved temporary rules allowing the issuance of permits and licenses for "farmed cervid" facilities. Cervids are the family of mammals that includes deer, elk and moose. The temporary rules for permits and licenses apply only to "farmed cervids, " defined as any member of the deer family that is not a white-tailed deer or an elk. The new rules are required by legislation adopted by the General Assembly earlier this year.

Session Law 2014-100, the State Budget Act, mandated the Wildlife Resources Commission adopt rules for the issuance of new captivity licenses for cervid facilities. During the public comment period for the temporary rules, the Commission became aware of potential legal barriers to issuance of licenses for white-tailed deer and elk. In today's actions, the Commission approved permitting and licensing rules pertaining only to farmed cervids, which are not affected by the potential legal barriers. The Commission also increased the mandatory testing age for chronic wasting disease in all captive deer that have died, from six months to 12 months.

The Commission is continuing to review any legal barriers to the issuance of new licenses for white-tailed deer and elk. Any further proposed changes by the Commission to the captive cervid regulations will be available for review and public comment.

For more information or to request a farmed cervid license application, contact the N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission, 1701 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699, online at www.ncwildlife.org.

About the N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission
Since 1947, the N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission has been dedicated to the conservation and sustainability of the state's fish and wildlife resources through research, scientific management, wise use, and public input. The Commission is the state regulatory agency responsible for the enforcement of fishing, hunting, trapping and boating laws and provides programs and opportunities for wildlife-related educational, recreational and sporting activities. To learn more, visit www.ncwildlife.org.

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Media contact: Geoff Cantrell 919-707-0186 or geoff. cantrell@ncwildlife.org