Don’t panic and throw out your venison, but officials are becoming concerned about a variant of chronic wasting disease (CWD) affecting deer, elk and moose that has spread from Canada and fanned out all over the United States.
According to the CDC, the disease has been tracked in 32 states. Georgia has yet to see any cases, but infected deer have been found nearby in Alabama, North Carolina and Florida.
It appears that the epicenter of the outbreak is in the Midwest where elk in Yellowstone National Park have been heavily affected.
Evan Brashier, a biologist with the Army Corps of Engineers says it is only a matter of time before the disease makes it way into Georgia.
“We really don’t know much about this disease. One study found that it could jump to primates, meaning it could infect humans; but another study indicated the disease could not mutate to infect humans,” Brashier said.
The disease attacks the animal’s brain and neurological functions.
According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, symptoms include dramatic weight loss, poor body condition, head tremors, excessive drooling and droopy head and ears. In the end stages, the animal begins losing muscle control and staggers around aimlessly, hence the term “zombie deer.”
While the disease causes the animals to become confused, they do not get violent, and there have been no recorded attacks from infected deer on humans, according to the CDC.
Brashier says that deer in Georgia already suffer from a similar disease, epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), which causes similar symptoms, but cannot be transferred to humans.
“The biggest difference between the two is the EHD has a 60% survival rate, but CWD is almost always fatal,” Brashier said.
The Georgia DNR suggests that hunters should keep an eye out for odd behavior among deer when hunting, and if a deer with odd behavior is found and killed, the carcass should be turned over to the DNR for testing.
The public can also help by reporting deer wandering around aimlessly in neighborhoods or staggering in the roadways.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
