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If you read any of the headlines about chronic wasting from April this year, you might be convinced that “zombie deer disease” has jumped the species barrier and is now causing deer hunter deaths. But those quick-hit news stories were more of a function of shoddy reporting than any new scientific development. In fact, recent research published in the June issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases found that CWD prions fail to infect human brain tissue. This study backs up years of previous research that has come to similar conclusions.

Scientists fear that two hunters died after eating infected meat sparking panic of a mad cow disease rerun.Two hunters have died amid fears they contracted the so-called “zombie deer disease” after eating infected meat. The US pair died soon after eating deer meat which scientists believe carried chronic wasting disease (CWD). by TaboolaSponsored Link This Simple Trick Will Block All Ads On Your Windows Safer Online Tips Now it’s sparked panic that the disease could pass from deer to humans as they both developed similar neurological symptoms as seen in animals. The disease has been nicknamed “zombie deer disease” as...

Two hunters may have become the first Americans to die from a 'zombie deer' disease. Experts have been warning for years that the nearly 100 percent fatal chronic wasting disease (CWD) - which leaves deer confused, drooling, and unafraid of humans - could jump from animals to people. But a new study theorizes that it has already happened - in two hunters who died in 2022 after eating contaminated venison. One of the victims, a 72-year-old man, suffered 'rapid-onset confusion and aggression,' as well as seizures. He died within a month.

Scientists are sounding the alarm over the spread of “zombie deer disease” amid fears it may evolve to infect humans. Late last year, experts confirmed Yellowstone National Park’s first case of the infection — officially known as chronic wasting disease — after a deer carcass found in the Wyoming area of the park tested positive for the highly contagious disease. Now, cases have been reported in deer, elk and moose in 33 states across the US, as well as in Canada, Norway and South Korea. The disease “damages portions of the brain and typically causes progressive loss of body condition,...

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Wildlife officials in several states are warning of new cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer, and issuing guidance for hunters. According to Shane Hesting, wildlife disease coordinator with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, the disease could threaten the future of one of the state’s most popular industries. “CWD has the potential to ruin hunting as we know it over time,” Hesting said. “This is going to take a long time…decades. There are a lot of questions whether we’re going to have localized extinction, which would be 50, 60 years from now. But,...

Want to bag a buck? Head to the South and Midwest, where the huntin’s good for America’s deer. The deer hunting sector has been changing over the last few years, with new entrants moving into the top positions as far as the number and quality of white-tail deer hunting is concerned. Judging which states are working hardest to produce a high number of deer for hunting can be difficult, but there have been many changes to the states that sit at the top of the list in the last few years. The best States for deer hunting are spread through...

Chronic wasting disease first appeared in Pennsylvania back in 2012. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are exploring some ‘off-the-wall’ measures to identify the fatal neurological disease in deer and other cervid species before they expire. One approach UPenn is exploring is the use of disease-sniffing dogs to detect CWD in deer feces in one of three new research projects receiving $1 million from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. According to Penn Live, the department is supplying $242,246 for the project, which will be led by Cynthia Otto, professor and director of Penn’s School of Veterinary Working Dog Center....

A deadly disease that has affected the deer population in an estimated 24 states and two Canadian provinces could eventually spread to and infect humans, experts warn. Experts from the University of Minnesota told lawmakers of the dangers of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), or what the U.S. Geological Survey describes as a “ fatal, neurological illness occurring in North American cervids (members of the deer family), including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose.” Currently, there are no vaccines or treatments available for the disease, which scientists say spreads directly through animal-to-animal contact but also indirectly through contaminated drinking water...

Would you eat venison if there was a chance it could slowly eat away at your brain? If there's a slight possibility, it doesn't bother Patrick States. On the menu this evening for his wife and two daughters at their Northglenn, Colo., home are pan-seared venison steaks with mashed potatoes and a whiskey cream sauce. "We each have our specialty, actually," says States as the steak sizzles. "The girls made elk tamales this morning, but we use [venison or elk] in spaghetti, chili, soup, whatever." The States take pride in skipping the butcher counter at the grocery store. The red...

I've been fortunate to hunt in North America for more than 30 years, mostly in Wisconsin but also in Alaska, Montana, Canada and Mexico, and have many treasured experiences. The 2015 Wisconsin deer season, however, brought an unwelcome first in my world. A buck I shot Nov. 2 in Richland County tested positive for chronic wasting disease. I learned about the test result on Wednesday. The meat from this buck, which I deboned, wrapped and stored frozen, will be thrown in the garbage. The 30 pounds of sausage made from trimmings will be tossed, too. Destroying the venison goes against...

When Hampshire County hunters brought in 1,335 deer to be screened for chronic wasting disease last fall, biologists figured at least a few infected animals would turn up. One did. It was the only one. Wildlife officials are reluctant to celebrate because the disease — which creates symptoms in deer and elk similar to mad cow disease in cattle — is notoriously difficult to get rid of. But Paul Johansen, Division of Natural Resources assistant wildlife chief, calls it “positive news.” “When you’re looking for a silver lining in the whole [chronic wasting disease] scenario, this is positive news,” Johansen...

John Stauber recently stopped at a sporting goods store in Richland Center to get his chainsaw repaired. Earlier that day, Stauber says, the Legislative Audit Bureau reported that the Department of Natural Resources' $27 million plan to thin the state's deer herd in an attempt to eradicate chronic wasting disease has been a flop. And Stauber, director of the Madison-based Center for Media & Democracy, says most of those waiting in line to purchase deer hunting licenses were "laughing and ridiculing the DNR." "They saw this as another public funding fiasco where know-nothing game managers are wasting money and interfering...

Wisconsin has been one of the states most proactive in the battle against Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). A form of the same fatal brain illness as mad cow disease, CWD actually forms holes in animals' brains, causing a variety of illnesses, including weight loss, tremors, odd - almost crazy behavior- and, eventually death. There are no reported instances of an infected animal having ever recovered from CWD. To date, deer and elk in 14 states have been found to have CWD. There is no evidence, however, that people have ever caught chronic wasting disease from infected deer or elk. Since...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683 Provision Authored by Senators Boxer and Feinstein Will Exterminate All Santa Rosa Elk and Mule Deer Wednesday, November 15, 2006 Fairfax, VA – Last month, President George W. Bush signed the 2007 Defense Authorization Act, which included an NRA-supported provision saving hundreds of elk and mule deer on Santa Rosa Island from the court-ordered extermination that was to begin in 2008 and be completed by 2011.However, yesterday, Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein attached an amendment to the Military Construction Appropriations bill that will overturn current law and exterminate hundreds of healthy...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Deer probably spread the brain-destroying illness chronic wasting disease through their saliva, concludes a study that finally pins down a long-suspected culprit. The key was that Colorado researchers tested some special deer. Chronic wasting disease is in the same family of fatal brain illnesses as bovine spongiform encephalopathy and its human equivalent. There is no evidence people have ever caught chronic wasting disease from infected deer or elk. But CWD is unusual because, unlike its very hard-to-spread relatives, it seems to spread fairly easily from animal to animal. Scientists weren't sure how, primarily because studying large wild...

Mt. Horeb, Wis. — Hunters and landowners took the bad news in stride at the first public meeting in a series of five to be held around the state regarding chronic wasting disease (CWD). More than 1,000 people filled the Mt. Horeb High School gym on May 1 to learn about DNR proposals to eliminate the deer herd within the CWD core Eradication Zone, and reduce populations within the larger CWD Management Zone. Scott Craven, chairman of the UW-Madison Department of Wildlife Ecology told the audience the state faces a serious and potentially disastrous problem. The problem is even more...

CWD Cost There's now an estimated price tag on how much money chronic wasting disease could cost people in the state of Wisconsin. UW researchers say the hunting industry could suffer a $96-million shortfall, come this fall. It all depends on the amount of people who decide to hunt, and how they spend their money. The DNR says there's a direct tie between the money, and the uncertainty about CWD. "There's nothing fair about CWD, no matter which way you look at it, impact on hunters, on state agencies, it takes a lot of energy," said Tom Hauge, DNR...

Tommy Schulenberg eases his old Ford pickup onto the narrow shoulder of County Road J, just north of Mt. Horeb, Wis., and points down the grassy embankment to a line of trees about 50 yards away. "That's where he was shot," he tells me with the self-conscious grin of someone unaccustomed to much fuss. "We heard three shots and then I heard T.J. get on the walkie-talkie, breathing real hard, you know, and he said, 'Dad, I got a big one, get down here.' " The buck was a dandy all right. His rack was a perfect 12-pointer, a rarity...

MADISON (AP) — Landowners in an area where chronic wasting disease was first detected will be allowed to bait deer to aid in the eradication of the herd under an emergency rule approved Jan. 7 by Wisconsin’s Natural Resources Board. A statewide ban on baiting and feeding was imposed last year in an effort to stem the spread of chronic wasting disease, which scientists believe is spread by animal-to-animal contact. But the DNR board voted 6-1 to allow baiting in a 411-square-mile area around Mount Horeb. Members hope the bait piles will congregate deer and make it easier for landowners...

MADISON - Researchers continuing to examine the results of the chronic wasting disease sampling effort during the 2002 Wisconsin hunting seasons report that the data indicates older bucks have a higher prevalence of the fatal brain disease and that the disease is not uniformly distributed within the infected area. "We examined the data from nearly 2,000 adult deer within the area where CWD is most prevalent. For yearling deer, we found chronic wasting disease at equal levels in male and female yearlings, 3.2 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively," said Mike Samuel, veterinarian and lead CWD researcher with the U.S. Geological...