Michigan Reports First Case of Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer
Michigan DNR confirms first case of chronic wasting disease in white-tail deer.
State officials say Michigan deer are at risk from a deadly disease. Officials are confirming the state’s first case of chronic wasting disease, a fatal neurological sickness that affects members of the deer family including moose and elk. Wilderness veterinarian, Steve Schmitt, says animals infected with the malady show many easily-identifiable symptoms.
“They’re emaciated; they’re thin because they’re not eating. They show abnormal behavior. They stand there and let humans approach them. Sometimes they’ll walk in circles. They tend to isolate themselves away from other animals and they stand there many times with their tongue hanging out, salivating.”
Steve Schmitt, Wilderness Veterinarian with the Michigan DNR
Schmitt says the first case was found in a free-ranging white-tailed deer in Ingham County. He says the state is implementing a surveillance and containment plan to help stop the disease from spreading.
