If you’re a black-tailed deer on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington, you’re always surrounded by friends and family. You are free-range, with abundant food to forage in familiar woods and meadows. But you’re also vigilant because you’re a prey species and your ideal habitat is also home to your top predators: […]
Tag: chronic wasting disease
Petition: Protect America’s Deer From Fast-Spreading Diseases
A shocking number of deer are dying from two brutal diseases. In Ohio, the rate of disease spread is so bad that one local told reporters he found 14 dead deer in less than a mile stretch on his property. Diseases like chronic wasting disease (CWD) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) have posed a small […]
Infectious diseases are killing deer and risking rural US economies: ‘You smell the dead everywhere’
When landowner and hunter James Barkhurst went scouting his property about a month ago to assess the local deer population ahead of the fall hunting season, he was left in shock. “I’ve seen about 14 dead in less than a mile stretch. There’s a lot of does, big bucks and even fawns. You smell the […]
Florida’s “Zombie Deer Disease” Sparks New Fears for Wildlife and the Environment
Wildlife officials in Florida have confirmed a second case of the fatal “zombie deer disease,” officially known as chronic wasting disease (CWD), raising fresh concern among scientists and conservationists about its spread across North America. According to Mother Jones, the infection was detected in a young white-tailed doe in Holmes County—just a mile from where […]
Florida wildlife officials discover second case of ‘zombie deer disease’ in state
Wildlife officials in Florida have discovered only the second case in the state of a deadly infection known colloquially as “zombie deer disease”, and are enforcing emergency measures to try to prevent a spread. The highly contagious chronic wasting disease (CWD) was found during routine screening in the carcass of a young white-tailed doe that […]
Missouri Deer Found with Painted Message Sparks Wildlife Concerns
A man in rural Missouri was stunned to discover a deer wandering through his property with a colorful collar and the word “pet” painted on its side. According to a report from WECB, the encounter happened in late September and left both the man and local authorities puzzled and concerned. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office […]
‘Don’t call it zombie deer disease’: scientists warn of ‘global crisis’ as infections spread across the US
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 […]
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 […]