“You’re going to find them more in Western Kansas or in the northern states. “Mule Deer are popular just because it’s not something you’re going to see in Lyon County,” she said. Lisa Keith, director of David Traylor Zoo in Emporia, said her zoo’s put several measures in place to protect her mule deer population, which is already rare to see in her community. The prevalence of the disease has also led others to take extra precautions. So, the more you can leave that behind and not take it to a new area, the more you can prevent CWD from moving faster than it will naturally.” The prions are in the spinal cord, in the brain, and any nervous tissue. “Leave those carcasses where they kill animals, so they keep the prions in the infected areas. “What we’re asking hunters to do is not move carcasses from where they kill animals,” Hesting said. PREVENTION EFFORTSĪccording to Hesting, hunters should also take steps to prevent the disease from spreading.

However, that number is increasing rapidly. Hesting said, to date, the state’s sampled about 30,000 deer, with about 548 that have been positive. “As it progresses and becomes entrenched in the population, the prevalence of CWD is going up, and we’re seeing more and more numbers of deer infected with the disease,” Hesting said. But, Hesting said, since then, the number of deer infected has grown ‘exponentially.’ Limited surveillance of the disease in deer dates back to the 1990’s. It typically causes gradual loss of body condition, like significant weight loss, behavioral changes, excessive salivation, and death. The disease is caused by prions, an infectious agent, spreading through bodily fluids or nose-to-nose contact, damaging portions of the animal’s brain once they’re infected. But, more likely, we’re going to see the older animals disappear from the population.”ĬWD can be found in deer, elk and moose. There are a lot of questions whether we’re going to have localized extinction, which would be 50, 60 years from now. “This is going to take a long time…decades. “CWD has the potential to ruin hunting as we know it over time,” Hesting said. Topeka burn sends noticeable plume of smoke over cityĪccording to Shane Hesting, wildlife disease coordinator with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, said the disease could threaten the future of one of the state’s most popular industries.

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