The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission passed a rule this past fall for the 2018-2019 deer hunting season.
The said rule prohibits the importation of whole deer carcasses and restricts the importation of particular carcass parts to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease.
Deer Disease Is Spreading East
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has imposed its chronic wasting disease (CWD) response plan following reports that involved a white-tailed deer in the western part of the state. The agency's biologists are also testing the deer and are trying to reach the hunters who harvested the infected animal.
Brad Stanback, the commissioner for District 9, said that the cervid importation ban is an effort to stop or at least delay the spread of CWD in North Carolina.
"The disease has been spreading east for several years, and in some Western and Midwestern states, the deer population has been severely impacted," said Stanback.
What Is Chronic Wasting Disease
The CWD is transmissible in deer, elk, moose, and reindeer/caribou and kills the animal once it gets infected. According to the NC Wildlife Commission, the source of the disease is a form of protein — an abnormal prion that stores up in the brain cells of the animal. The brain cells will eventually rupture, leaving behind very small empty spaces in the brain matter that looks "spongy."
According to Jodie Owen, the agency's spokesperson, there has never been a confirmed case of CWD in North Carolina. As of this time, the closest known cases of the disease were found in deer in Virginia.
"It will be a pretty big deal if we get CWD in North Carolina," said Justin McVey, mountain region wildlife biologist for the wildlife commission.
Public Urged To Watch Out For Deer Disease
McVey added that the fatal disease is not yet well understood and it could have a big impact on deer herd and hunting in their region. He said that biologists from the commission conduct a yearly statewide sampling of deer from hunter harvests and from road kills.
They also make an effort to take samples from all deer that show any sign of the disease or die of unknown causes. However, McVey believes that the coming of CWD in their region cannot be prevented.
"Unfortunately, it's inevitable that it will get here. It's possible that it's already here, and we just haven't detected it yet," she said. "We're trying to be as cautious as we can."
McVey is encouraging the public to help look for signs of CWD in deer — if the animals are disoriented, stumbling around, or emaciated. People should then contact the NC Wildlife Commission and inform the agency about it.
