Wildlife officials in Florida have discovered only the state's second case of the deadly infection known colloquially as “zombie deer disease” and are taking extraordinary measures to try to prevent the spread.
The highly contagious chronic wasting disease (CWD) was discovered during a routine examination in the carcass of a young white-tailed doe that was struck by a vehicle in Holmes County, near the Alabama border, early last month. The only previously reported case in Florida was in a four-year-old female killed about a mile away in June 2023.
Experts warn of a domino effect on wildlife management if the neurodegenerative disease, more common in western and northeastern states, is not contained. Although not harmful to humans, it has no vaccine or cure and is easily spread by animal-to-animal contact, environmental pollution and ticks.
“This disease is probably the biggest threat to deer and deer hunting in North America right now,” the wildlife biologist said. Stephen Sheaan expert on deer populations who manages more than half a million acres of habitat for the species in central Florida.
“Based on everything we know, CWD will continue to spread. Every time it has been tried to be contained and eradicated, it has failed. So what agencies are really trying to do is slow the spread, keep it in a relatively small area.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has established a special management area and enhanced surveillance and monitoring program in Holmes and neighboring Jackson and Washington counties. Test results are pending for 90 animals.
The disease is a so-called silent killer because an infected deer can live for several years without showing symptoms. He eventually succumbs to brain tissue damage and experiences a range of symptoms, including weight loss, behavioral abnormalities, loss of coordination, excessive salivation and eventually death, according to the University of Florida. Department of Ecology and Wildlife Conservation.
The state's white-tailed deer population is estimated at 700,000, with about 100,000 hunted annually, making it Florida's most popular game animal.
FVK implemented special rules in the DRL management area for the deer hunting season that begins later this month, including mandatory inspection of all carcasses.
“Early detection in Florida puts us in a best-case scenario for CWD control, as a smaller outbreak is more feasible to contain,” James Kelly, the commission's CWD surveillance coordinator, said in a statement.
“Hunters are our first line of defense in the fight against this disease. Each sample helps us track the spread of the disease and shapes our strategies to effectively combat it.”
Shea said he fears a “domino effect” if CWD spreads in Florida.
“Hunters have to send the head in for testing, they wait for the meat, and if it comes back positive, they have to throw the meat away,” he said.
“So we fear that the number of white-tailed deer hunters will decrease. Hunts are the primary way to control deer populations in many areas of the country, and if that goes away, you'll still have a large number of deer,” he said. [but] there will be more serious consequences for transport strikes and crop destruction.
“Hunters provide one of the largest sources of income that supports fish and wildlife management in North America, and the fewer hunters who hunt, the less money goes into seeding programs that help all wildlife, not just white-tailed deer.”
