A rare disease, coined “zombie” disease, has made its way to deer in Yellowstone National Park for the first time, according to officials.
In a press release earlier this week, Yellowstone National Park and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department announced they had found the first recorded case of “chronic wasting disease,” also known as “zombie” disease. The case was found in an adult mule deer that had previously been part of a study in Wyoming.
“The mule deer was originally captured by WGFD personnel near Cody, Wyoming in March 2023 as part of a population dynamics study and was fitted with a GPS collar,” the press release said. “The collar signaled that the animal died in mid-October 2023.”
Sightings of deer collared with “Pet” emblazoned on the body warrant an alert from a Mo officer.
Officials say Yellowstone staff must take precautions to prevent the disease from spreading now that it has reached the area. These measures include increased testing of deer, elk and moose, as well as increased park surveillance.
“CWD is a contagious, fatal disease of deer, elk and moose caused by an improperly formed protein (prion) for which there is no vaccine or known treatment,” according to the press release.
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The first known case of CWD was in the 1980s in Wyoming, and although it has spread throughout the state, it was not known to exist in Yellowstone until now.
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Symptoms of the disease include “lethargy, weight loss, increased drinking and urination, excessive drooling and head hanging,” often followed by death.
It can be spread both directly and indirectly by disease particles, and the long-term effects are still unknown, officials say.
There is also currently “no evidence” that CWD can spread to humans or only among wildlife, but the CDC urges people to be cautious.
“Since 1997, the World Health Organization has recommended that it is important to prevent the causative agents of all known prion diseases from entering the human food chain,” the CDC says.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education