Northeastern US seeks to prevent arrival of deer disease
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Deer biologists across northern New England are dusting off their plans for dealing with a fatal disease that has been spreading across North America for a half-century and was recently discovered again on a Canadian game farm.
Chronic wasting disease has never been found in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, and biologists hope the single case discovered in a captive deer just north of Montreal can be contained through aggressive monitoring and culling of wild deer in the area while they test to see whether the disease has infected the wild population.
“If they find it in the wild, then the freak-out factor goes through the roof because at that point, it’s only a matter of time before it spreads,” said Nick Fortin, deer biologist for the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The discovery comes as the states embark on annual fall deer hunts.