INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE:

The purpose of the Laboratory Branch of the Services Division of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is to provide services for various Department personnel, and occasionally, other agencies and the general public. As defined in the Department’s Strategic Plan, the laboratory is to provide forensic and analytical services; assist with maintaining and improving the health of wild and hatchery fish by monitoring, diagnosing and reporting on diseases; provide fish health certification and recommend disease control measures. These services are conducted at the Game and Fish Laboratory in Laramie and in the field, as necessary.

KEY FUNCTIONS:

1. Law Enforcement Forensics (Species, gender identification and animal individualization employ immunology and PCR-DNA micro satellite procedures.) - A total of 50 cases with 273 samples and 688 tests were performed in Fiscal Year 1999.

2. Fish Health Inspections and Disease Diagnosis - A total of 13,771 samples from 138 cases were examined in Fiscal Year 1999.

3. Animal Teeth Aging - A total of 5,313 teeth from 2,106 requests were processed, aged and results returned to submitter to provide animal harvest information.

4. Extraction and Decoding of Wire Tags from Fish - A total of 792 fish heads were processed in Fiscal Year 1999 to provide information on fish stocking and growth rates for fisheries personnel.

5. Miscellaneous Analyses and Information Requests - A total of 1,535 samples with 101 tests from nine requests were conducted in Fiscal Year 1999.

Information about Evidence, Sample Collection and Submission, Tests
Conducted and Time needed for Analysis can be Obtained at:
Game & Fish Laboratory
University of Wyoming
Biological Science Building, Room 323
P.O. Box 3312
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone (307) 766-5618 (Tom Moore)
(307) 766-5620 (Dave Money) (307) 766-5616 (Deedee Hawk)

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE:

The purpose of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wildlife Disease Laboratory is to monitor diseases in wildlife populations of Wyoming and the surrounding states, as well as forensic services for wildlife taken illegally and by poisoning. Most laboratory analyses are conducted in cooperation with USDA/APHIS and the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, which provides the expertise in pathology, virology, serology, bacteriology, parasitology and electron microscopy. The primary role of the Wildlife Disease Laboratory is the diagnosis and surveillance of brucellosis, chronic wasting disease, plague and tularemia. Diagnostic tests available to the public with a suspect wildlife disease problem are: plague and tularemia serology (serum), brucella culture (tissue), carcass safety for consumption and general disease diagnosis (carcass). A total of 3980 specimens from 85 species for 716 wildlife cases were examined during Fiscal Year 1999.

KEY FUNCTIONS:

1. Diagnosing and monitoring the occurrence of diseases in wildlife and, where appropriate, making management recommendations.

2. Law Enforcement/Forensics - Cases involving big and trophy game, predators, waterfowl, endangered species, and exotic animals are necropsied to determine cause of death.

3. Wildlife disease monitoring for research projects concerning black-footed ferret reintroduction areas, brucellosis vaccine research, causes of mortality in the Wyoming toad and black-footed ferret, and monitoring brucellosis in free ranging elk.