A second case of the gruesome ‘zombie deer disease’ has been discovered near the border in Florida sparking fears it may spread.
Officials are battling to contain Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which poses a significant threat to deer populations and rapidly accelerates once it’s transmitted.
The second case was reported in Holmes County, located near the border of Alabama.
The four-and-a-half-year-old white tailed deer was discovered to have been infected with the disease after it died in a road collision, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
‘The FWC and its agency partners take CWD very seriously and have implemented a comprehensive response plan with the goal of containing the disease within the area it was detected,’ a statement said.
‘As part of the plan, the FWC will collect samples from specific established zones to further assess the spread of the disease’
It comes two years after the first case was discovered in Florida, less than a mile from where the second deer was found.
The disease has a 100 percent mortality rate once transmitted and could substantially reduce the population if it isn’t contained.
Florida officials confirmed a second case of Chronic Wasting Disease, known as ‘zombie deer disease’
CWD occurs when proteins are misfolded and multiply. Symptoms include drastic weight loss, stumbling, and drooling
Signs of CWD can be asymptomatic for up to three years after transmission, making it increasingly difficult for wildlife officials to catch.
Wildlife biologist Steven Shea told The Guardian that the disease was potentially the ‘greatest threat to deer and deer hunting in North America’.
CWD was nicknamed ‘zombie deer disease’ because of the symptoms displayed in the animals after they contract it.
The disease is believed to be caused by a protein called a prion that stops breaking down normally.
Deer experience drastic weight loss, stumbling, drooling, lowered ears, drowsiness, head tremors, and poor body and coat condition when infected with CWD.
They are often known to pace and lose their fear of humans when they contract the disease.
All species of deer are vulnerable, but white-tailed deer, mule deer, black tailed deer, Rocky Mountain elk, and even moose most frequently contract the infection.
Deer are essential to the ecosystem because they eat brush, which allows more sunlight to reach the forest floor and fosters plant growth.
It can take up to three years for CWD to manifest symptoms, but once symptoms occur, the disease has a 100 percent mortality rate
Over the summer, a separate condition called cutaneous fibroma was spotted in deer, and the animals were spotted with shocking warts
A study conducted by Ohio State University found that deer have a positive impact on reptile populations. They also contribute to a healthier bird population.
The population of deer in the US has been on a steady decline in recent years, according to the World Population Review.
Florida has a moderate deer population with 625,000 white-tailed deer reported this year.
Texas has the largest deer population, with over five million, while New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Michigan, and Wisconsin also have over one million deer.
There is currently no evidence that CWD can be transmitted to humans, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises not to consume meat from animals that have contracted the infection.
CWD is diagnosed by testing samples from the brain, spinal cord, and lymph nodes of deceased deer, which is only possible post-mortem.
Those hunting deer are prohibited from transporting carcasses from outside of the state into Florida.
The CDC has reported 35 states and 543 counties across the US with CWD cases, as of March.
The deer population was impacted over the summer by a separate condition called cutaneous fibroma, also called deer warts.
The virus spreads through insects and manifests as ginormous warts on the deer’s body.
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