In a scattershot pattern that now extends from coast to coast, continental US states have been announcing new hotspots of chronic wasting disease (CWD). The contagious and always-fatal neurodegenerative disorder infects the cervid family that includes deer, elk, moose and, in higher latitudes, reindeer. There is no vaccine or treatment. Described by scientists as a […]
Tag: chronic wasting disease
CWD Suspected in Dead Elk at Wyoming Feedground
Earlier this year, two elk tested positive for chronic wasting disease on the Dell Creek Feedground near Pinedale, Wyoming. Since then, the situation has escalated. In late February, Wyoming Game and Fish personnel discovered a deceased bull and cow elk on that same feedground. Game and Fish biologists collected a sample from the bull that […]
Texas Wardens Uncover Black-Market Whitetail Breeding Ring that Smuggled ‘Ghost Deer’
During a traffic stop outside Houston earlier this month, Texas game wardens caught two deer breeders trying to move captive whitetails illegally across the state. The men pleaded guilty, and they were convicted of more than 50 deer breeder violations for disobeying the state’s CWD rules and transporting unidentifiable “ghost deer,” which they planned to […]
New study finds deer hunting can help keep chronic wasting disease in check
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Hunting greater numbers of male deer can slow the spread of chronic wasting disease, a lethal wildlife disease, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Chronic wasting disease is caused by a misfolded protein called a prion, and infection leads to neurological […]
Chronic wasting disease has exploded through Alberta’s deer population. Can it be stopped?
It attacks the brain. It has a 100 per cent fatality rate. And it has spread all across southern and central Alberta. Fifteen years ago, chronic wasting disease was rare in the province’s deer populations, showing up in a small percentage of animals in a handful of locations, mostly along the Saskatchewan border. In the […]
Georgia officials warn of ‘zombie deer disease’ after first animal in the state tests positive
Wildlife authorities in Georgia are warning about ‘zombie deer disease’ after the state’s first case. A white-tail deer in Lanier County contracted the devastating neurological disease, according to officials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division. Chronic Wasting Disease is the official name for the ailment, which is only known to affect […]
As ‘Zombie’ Deer Disease Spreads, Scientists Look for Answers
Late last year federal officials discovered the carcass of a mule deer buck near Yellowstone Lake in a remote region of Yellowstone National Park. Its cause of death was chronic wasting disease (CWD), experts said, making this the first confirmed death of an animal in the park from the disease. The discovery was alarming, but […]
Fatal Disease is Attacking California Wildlife
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurological illness affecting cervids like deer and elk, has made its ominous debut in California. The state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recently confirmed the presence of CWD in deer from Madera and Inyo counties, marking the first documented cases in the Golden State. The discovery, announced on […]