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Wildlife conservationists sound alarm on deadly deer disease

  • Julia Agos/WITF
A doe looks up from grazing in a meadow at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum where a newly initiated bow hunting season is being used to introduce the sport of hunting to those who have never tried it.

 Emma Lee / WHYY

A doe looks up from grazing in a meadow at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum where a newly initiated bow hunting season is being used to introduce the sport of hunting to those who have never tried it.

(Harrisburg) – The National Deer Association is raising awareness about a deadly disease threatening the deer and elk population in Pennsylvania.

Chronic Wasting Disease, known as CWD, was first detected in the commonwealth in 2012. Since then, nearly 700 cases have been documented around the state – with most in Southcentral Pennsylvania.

It is a contagious and deadly neurological disease that causes deterioration of the brain and abnormal behavior in deer, moose, and elk.

Kip Adams, chief conservation officer with the National Deer Association, says even non-hunters should care about it because a sick deer population can affect other wildlife.

“Deer drive the hunting system and the hunting economy and afford management opportunities for so many other wildlife species here in the commonwealth,” he said.

There is no evidence the disease can be passed on to humans, but those who encounter an infected animal should not eat the meat.

It is important for people to learn how to handle the animal so the disease does not spread, said Adams.

“You do that by not removing the high-risk parts of the deer that they harvested. Those high-risk parts being the brain, the eyes, the backbone and the spleen. And not taking those out of a disease zone because that can allow the disease to spread to over regions,” he said.

Along with the Pennsylvania Game Commissioner, NDA is hosting a series of virtual meetings this month to educate the public.

A meeting focusing on the Southcentral region is scheduled for May 18 at 7pm.

“CWD is a continually growing threat to Pennsylvania’s deer and elk populations,” said Andrea Korman, a Game Commission CWD biologist. “It’s a really important topic for Pennsylvanians to understand and there is a lot of misinformation out there. These meetings are a great way to not only learn more about the disease, but to also get your questions answered by the experts.”

The meetings will include presentations on CWD, along with question-and-answer sessions. Those interested in attending the sessions can find more information on the Pa Game Commission website.

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