Georgia has its first case of ‘zombie deer disease’ and hunting season could be in danger
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed the state’s first case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a white-tailed deer, harvested by a hunter on private property in Lanier County.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose. It is caused by abnormal proteins called prions, which accumulate in the animal’s nervous system, leading to weight loss, unsteady gait and eventual death. As the disease progresses, deer exhibit behaviors that make them appear zombie-like.
Scholars and doctoral students, led by Marcelo Jorge, at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia are part of an ongoing study centered around the spread of CWD.
Despite recording a growing number of infected deer who died, Jorge said the data gathered, so far, is promising and offers good news for ecosystem maintenance as well as sport hunting.
Jorge said, ”With the decreasing hunting population we already have, this can only exacerbate those issues. So, this is near and dear to my heart, but the project also gave me the opportunity to learn new things from new people.”
How can you spot CWD in deer?
When a deer contracts CWD, it under goes an eerie transformation - from a healthy animal to one that appears mentally and physically deteriorated, moving in an uncoordinated, seemingly mindless manner before eventual death.
Symptoms include:
- Drooling excessively
- Stumbling and loss of coordination
- Blank, fixed staring
- Lowered head and drooping ears
- Loss of fear of humans
- Sluggish or unusual behavior
How does it spread?
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) primarily spreads among cervids (deer, elk, and moose) through various mechanisms:
Direct horizontal transmission:
Animal-to-animal contact through bodily fluids such as saliva, urine, blood, and feces
Mating and fighting behaviors can facilitate transmission.
Indirect horizontal transmission:
Environmental contamination from infected carcasses, excreta, or contaminated soil, food or water.
Prions can persist in the environment for long periods
Vertical transmission:
From mother to offspring, though less common than horizontal transmission
Aerosol and nasal transmission:
Inhalation of airborne particles containing prions
Can it affect other humans or other animals?
CWD can affect other animals:
Natural transmission outside deer, elk or moose has not been observed, yet.
However, it has been seen to transfer to cattle, sheep, goats ferret, mink, mice, hamsters, and squirrel monkeys in clinical experiments.
Regarding human transmission:
Currently, there is no known transmission of CWD to humans, but recent research suggests a potential risk:
A study using “humanized” mouse models showed CWD prions could infect these mice.
This suggests CWD transmission could, theoretically, happen
While there haven’t been any reported cases of humans contracting CWD The Department of Natural issued an advisory to hunters to have their deer tested before consuming the meat.
What can you do to prevent the spread?
To help prevent the spread of CWD, Georgia hunters should:
Avoid moving live deer
Properly dispose of deer carcasses
Report any sick or abnormal deer to the nearest WRD Game Management Office
Do not to transport whole carcasses into or out of the CWD Management Area around Lanier or Berrien counties
Despite this discovery, DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon assures hunters that “deer hunting will continue to thrive in Georgia”.
The goal is to work closely with hunters and residents to manage CWD and maintain healthy deer populations.
Report cases to the Wildlife Resources Division at 706-295-6041 or visit them at 1334 Second Avenue, Columbus, Ga.
This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Georgia has its first case of ‘zombie deer disease’ and hunting season could be in danger."
