A news release issued in Edmonton said it was the 12th discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Canada since May 2003 but posed no risk to humans as none of the animal entered the human or animal food chains, the Edmonton Journal reported.

"Based on science, it is not expected that this case should impact access to any of Canada's current international markets for cattle and beef," the release said.

Nine of the confirmed Canadian BSE cases have been found in Alberta, the agency said.

The CFIA said it would conduct further investigation into the 6-year-old animal's history and zero in on other herds it had been exposed to in an undisclosed part of Alberta, the report.

Humans who eat meat from an animal with BSE, which causes aggressive behavior and massive tremors in infected animals, are prone to contracting the brain-wasting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., said.