United States: For the first time, on Tuesday the National Health Service, which is Maryland’s national parks’ agency, has reported that white-tailed deer in Maryland national parks have been diagnosed with the fearing relapsing Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
Know more about CWD
According to foxweather.com reports, CWD is a contagious, fatal disease of deer, moose, and elk that causes physiological and behavioral changes, starvation, and death.
Furthermore, some of those changes include depression, altered gait, head tremors, and circling. Due to such behaviors, infected deer with CWD have been officially dubbed as “zombie deer,” as foxweather.com reported.
About the positive cases
According to park officials, two deer tested positive for the Disease at Antietam National Battlefield and one at Monocacy National Battlefield. Both national park sites are located in northern Maryland.
Park officials made the discovery while conducting deer reduction operations. These operations help protect and restore vegetation and preserve historic landscapes. As part of the operations, officials monitor wildlife health, including testing deer for CWD.
History of CWD in the US
The NPS said CWD was initially found in Colorado and Wyoming in the 1960s and 1970s and was only identified in Maryland in 2010. It is only in 2024, with recent monitoring, that CWD has been found in deer in the state’s national parks.
How does CWD spread?
As per the official’s guidelines, CWD spreads by a direct animal-to-animal contact or indirectly when coming in contact with feces, soil, vegetation, or other aspects of the environment carrying infected particles.
However, CWD has not appeared to cause infection to humans or domestic animals, as per the park officials. It is advised to park visitors that – avoid eating venison from CWD-positive deer, and also meat from other CWD-infected animals, as foxweather.com reported.
The park officials also issued in their statement that they should avoid getting in near to a sick or a dead wildlife inside the park.
Additionally, in case of finding one, the visitors are urged by the officials to alert an NPS employees without any delay.
They also recommend avoiding sick or dead wildlife in the park. If one is found, visitors are urged to alert an NPS employee as soon as possible, as foxweather.com reported.