Scientists don’t seem fazed by the discovery of a deer with a fatal neurological disease only about 25 miles east of Yellowstone National Park. A whitetail buck taken by a hunter in Wyoming tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease on November first.
Park wildlife biologist John Treanor describes CWD as a “disease of concern” that’s been moving closer and closer to Yellowstone’s boundary.
"But there may have been animals that have already been in the park. It’s just a very challenging disease to diagnose. Once it is detected within Yellowstone, we’d probably increase our surveillance efforts with any road killed animals.”
CWD is contagious and found in deer, elk and moose. It’s caused by a mis-folded brain protein and leads to chronic weight loss, lethargy and eventually death.
There are no known cases of Chronic Wasting Disease transmitting from animals to humans.