LaGrange County, IN – A serious development in wildlife health has emerged as the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports the state’s initial case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a white-tailed deer.
Discovered in LaGrange County, the infected male deer was identified post-harvest by a hunter and confirmed positive for CWD through two separate tests.According to the DNR, CWD is a fatal neurological disorder affecting deer species and is characterized by a misfolded protein, known as a prion, which causes progressive damage to the nervous system.
The disease is transmissible among deer through direct contact or environmental exposure and can remain in the soil for numerous years. Symptoms in affected deer include significant weight loss, unusual behavior, and neurological abnormalities.
The DNR and health officials are advising hunters to have their deer tested before consumption and to avoid eating meat from animals known to be infected with CWD.
For more information, residents and hunters are encouraged to visit the Indiana DNR’s website dedicated to CWD.
