Reports of chronic wasting disease in white tail deer in the western part of Tennessee have led the state to enact their chronic wasting disease response plan. North Carolina wildlife officials are warning of the deadly disease encroaching on North Carolina’s deer population. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission enacted a rule for the 2018-19 deer hunting season prohibiting import of whole deer carcasses and restricting importation of specific carcass parts to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease. Chronic Wasting Disease is a contagious neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose. It causes a characteristic spongy degeneration of the brains of infected animals resulting in emaciation, abnormal behavior and leads to death. As of yet there has never been a confirmed case of chronic wasting disease in North Carolina. Until now, the closest known cases were found in deer in Virginia.
photo from Mike Hopper,Kansas Dept of Wildlife and Tourism
