Deer Disease Threatens Herds Across the Country

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Dec. 17, 2022 | Ben Kesling

[MinorityRepublican]

During Missouri’s rifle-hunting season, state conservation officials in more than two dozen locations spend 12 hours a day removing and testing lymph nodes from the heads of deer carcasses brought in by hunters. They are looking for chronic wasting disease, a deadly and incurable condition on the rise across the country.

“It’s a growing problem,” said Erin Shank, a biologist at the Missouri Department of Conservation. “It’s going one direction and it’s not the direction we want it to go.”

The disease was first found in a captive deer in Colorado in the 1960s and in wild deer in the 1980s. But in the 2000s the disease began to spread faster. It has been detected in 29 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some states, including Colorado, are now finding more than 5% of herds infected in some areas, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Above that 5% threshold, infection rates begin to rise exponentially and populations stagnate or decline.

Chronic wasting disease, known as CWD, is a neurological condition akin to mad-cow disease or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease found in humans. With these diseases, pathogens called prions lead to brain damage and death. The prions can take years to cause symptoms—which include weight loss, lack of coordination, drooling and lack of fear of humans—and then cause certain death. Scientists haven’t been able to fully research and understand how prions work or a way to cure them, according to the CDC.

Scientists said they know of no case of the disease being transmitted to humans through tainted venison or other means. But studies showing its risks to nonhuman primates raise concerns, according to the CDC.

[bc42875]

Here in northern Westchester NY I have actually seen these deer standing in the middle of the road during heavy traffic just drooling profusely. I had informed the DEC of it and they seemed appreciative that I let them know the exact address. They said they’ve been having a big problem with it.

[MinorityRepublican]

Here in northern Westchester NY I have actually seen these deer standing in the middle of the road during heavy traffic just drooling profusely.

Yeah that ain't normal.

[bigfootbob]

I live in a small beach town that has more Blacktail Deer than Winter residents. Misguided residents and tourists feed the critters to a point Deer don’t fear cars, Dogs, or people.

We sane folks including the fish and game wardens warn every Spring/Fall & Summer that they are loving the critters to death. We already have Elk Hoof rot in this state, it won’t be long before this stuff creeps in.

Want to see the effect of anthropomorphism on display? Damn Disney & Hanna/Barbera.

[cuz1961]

Maybe we can end car wrecks with deer forever

/\

I wondered why a deer would be walking down I-5.

Last week a biker hit it in Anderson stretch, his girlfriend pulled over to help him and both were hit and killed by another car.

Very.
Sad.

[MrBambaLaMamba]

Another indication of the sixth great dying.

[SgtHooper]

Obviously, CWD has migrated to at least ONE human! :-)

[dsrtsage]

“ I wondered why a deer would be walking down I-5.”

I don’t see too many deer on interstates very often, but I flew into Nashville and drove to Chattanooga a few weeks ago and along I-24 there were miles and miles of dead deer on the road toppled like bowling pins

[Fury]

Stay away from CNS tissue of deer and folks will be okay.

[deport]

along I-24 there were miles and miles of dead deer on the
road toppled like bowling pins

************

Either let the hunters have at them or leave it to road kill
to thin the herds.

[Clay Moore]

Around here, the deer get smashed on the road during rut. If you see one run across the road, hit the brakes because there are likely more behind it.

[vetvetdoug]

The so called definitive study that claimed that CWD was not zoonotic used 20 primates. All ten of one of the group of primates contracted the disease and the ten macaques didn't. Just call me skeptical because slow viruses (old name for prions) jump species. I believe that neural tissue from deer may be zoonotic as the study group for stating that the disease wasn't transmissible would not pass the most rudimentary statistical tests for validity. Tennessee has a real problem, as does Arkansas. Mississippi got on the problem quickly only to find out that Tennessee had ignored the problem and was out of control before they even began to try to identify the problem.

[MinorityRepublican]

I believe that neural tissue from deer may be zoonotic as the study group for stating that the disease wasn't transmissible would not pass the most rudimentary statistical tests for validity.

Interesting. I never heard about that before.