Texas Intensifies Its Fight Against “Zombie Deer Disease”

Wildlife biologists don't like the nickname “zombie deer disease,” with its B-movie connotations. “Their flesh doesn't waste away, and they don' ... Close Login SearchTexasMonthly... Sections News&Politics Business Health Energy Politics&Policy BestandWorstLegislators BumSteers Arts&Entertainment Sports Books Music Film&TV Style&Design Art BeingTexan TexasHistory TheTexanist BestThingInTexas CountryNotes Travel&Outdoors Hunting&Fishing Parks&Recs WhereToStayNow Critters Food&Drink Libations Recipes Pat'sPick DiningGuide Tacos Tex-Mexplainer BBQ Recipes JointReviews TMBBQClub Top50Joints TMBBQFest Podcasts America'sGirls StateofMind OnebyWillie TomBrown’sBody Boomtown Underdog Video Magazine LongReads TrueCrime Subscribe Newsletters JoinTMBBQClub TMBBQFest ManageSubscription Renew GiveaGift BackIssues BuyMerch AboutUs TheStandUpDesk Careers Advertise TexasMonthlyStudio Promotions CloseSearch Search SortBy FilterBy Locations Type ViewResults Filters TexasMonthly Subscribe Login MyAccount MyProfile Logout News&Politics Arts&Entertainment BeingTexan Food&Drink BBQ Travel&Outdoors Magazine Podcasts Video DozombiedeerforetellaTexashuntingapocalypse?Itmightbedecadesbeforeweknow.Yettheriseofchronicwastingdisease—colloquiallyknownas“zombiedeerdisease”becauseitinfectsthebrainsofdeer,essentiallyturningthemintothewalkingdead—issoalarmingthatofficialswiththeTexasParksandWildlifeDepartmentaretestingdeerroadkillacrossthestateandtighteningregulationsoncommercialdeerbreedersinanall-outattempttoslowthespread.There’snocureforchronicwastingdisease,orCWD.Thenervous-systemconditionissimilartomadcowdiseaseincattleandscrapieinsheepandgoats—andit’salwaysfatal.Infecteddeercanquietlyspreadthediseasefortwoyearsbeforesymptomsevenappear.WhiledeerinthelatestagesofCWDoftenlookemaciatedandbehaveerratically,infectionsleavetheanimalssoweakenedandvulnerabletopredatorsthattheytypicallydiebeforeexternalsymptomsmanifestthemselves,makingthespreadofthediseasedifficulttocontrol.“We’retalkingaboutaninsidiousdisease,”saidMitchLockwood,TPWD’sbig-gameprogramdirector.“It’sslow.It’snotobvious.Butit’sneverdormant.” AlthoughwilddeeralsocomedownwithCWD,Lockwoodsaidthediseaseistransmittedmorequicklythroughdeer-breedingfacilities,whichkeeptheanimalsinrelativelycloseconfinesandoftenmovethemacrossmuchgreaterdistancesthantheywouldhavetraveledwhileroamingthelandscapeundernaturalconditions.Folkswhobreeddeerforhobbyorprofit(andwhotendtohavetallfencesanddeeppockets)arenonetoohappyabouttherisingregulatorydemandsontheirindustry.SinceTPWD’semergencyrulestookeffectinlateJune,morethan10percentofthestate’snearlyonethousanddeerbreedershaveleftthebusiness,andanother10percentareplanningtodoso,saidJohnTrue,presidentoftheTexasDeerAssociation,anonprofitgroupthatadvocatesforthedeer-breedingindustry. Unlikeavariantofmadcowdisease,CWDcan’tbetransmittedtohumans,whichmeansit’ssafe(sofar)toeatthevenisonofaninfecteddeer.Hunters,however,arerequiredtobringtheirharveststoaTPWDcheckstationwithintwodaysifthekillsoccurredinoneofthesevenCWDZones,whicharescatteredacrossmostofthestateexceptforsoutheastTexasandtheRioGrandeValley.(TheregularhuntingseasonforwhitetaildeerinTexasrunsthroughJanuary2intheNorthZoneandJanuary16intheSouthZone.)Chronicwastingdiseaseistransmittedthroughbodilyfluids,excrement,andcarcasses,andiscausedbyaweirdlittleproteincalledaprion,whichtriggersotherproteinstofoldabnormallyinthecentralnervoussystem.Thechainreactionofmisfoldingproteinsslowlydestroysthebrainsofwhitetails,muledeer,andothermembersoftheCervidaefamily,suchaselkandmoose.Wildlifebiologistsdon’tlikethenickname“zombiedeerdisease,”withitsB-movieconnotations.“Theirfleshdoesn’twasteaway,andtheydon’tstarteatingeachother,”saidMeganRadke,aTPWDpressofficer.“Theyslobberandstumbleasopposedtobeingazombie-typecreature.” Leftunchecked,thediseasetravelsfromdeertodeer,reachingatippingpointwhenabout15percentofaherdisinfected.“That’swhenitreallybeginstosnowball,”Lockwoodsaid.Discoveredin1967atagovernmentresearchfacilityinColorado,CWDhasspreadthroughouthalftheUnitedStatesandfourCanadianprovinces.ItreachedTexasin2012,firstinafree-rangingmuledeerherdintheHuecoMountainsnearElPaso,thenataSouthTexasbreedingfacilitythreeyearslater.Itwasquicklydiscoveredinseveralotherbreedingfacilities.Inthenineyearssincetheillnessarrivedhere,CWDhasbeendetectedin270animals;nearlythree-fourthswerewhitetailsincaptivebreedingfacilities.Thisspring,wildlifescientistsfoundnewcauseforalarm.ForthefirsttimeinnortheastTexas,awhitetaildeertestedpositiveforCWDatabreedingfacilityinHuntCounty,aboutfiftymilesnortheastofDallas.AnotherninecasesweretracedtoabreedingoperationinUvaldeCounty,ahundredmileswestofSanAntonio.Uponfurthertesting,atotalofatleast30infecteddeerwerefoundatsixfacilities,25attheUvaldeoperationalone.NeithertheUvaldenorHuntCountyfarmshadimportedanydeerinrecentyears—theywerebothconsidered“closedherds”—sothevectorbywhichCWDspreadtherewasamystery.AccordingtoTrue,rancherswhoboughtinfectedanimalsfromtheUvaldeoperationwereforcedtokillnotonlythosedeerbuttheirentireherds—hundredsofcaptivedoesandbucks,culledasaprecaution.“Whenthere’sCWDdetectedonyourfarm,it’satotalwipeout,”saidTrue,theownerofBigRackRanch,atwo-thousand-acrebreedingoperationaboutanhoureastofDallas.AccordingtoTrue,about10,000captivedeerhavebeenkilledbecauseCWDwasfoundintheirpens.Some,hesaid,werebreedingbucksvaluedashighas$250,000. Thelossesofallthoseprizewhitetailsrippleacrossthestate’sruraleconomies,headded.Fromvetbillstofeedcosts,theassociationestimatesthatTexasdeerbreedersdirectlycontribute$350millionineconomicactivityeachyear.Deerbreedershaveoftencomeupagainstregulatorsandconservationistswhoprefertoletwhitetailsroamnaturally.TrueframesthetighteningCWDregulationsasanewfrontinthatfight,arguingthathisindustryisbeingcastasaCWDscapegoatbycriticswithintheTexasParksandWildlifeDepartmentandthebroaderconservationcommunitywho,healleges,areusingthediseaseasapretensetodestroythepracticeofselectivelybreedingwhitetaildeerformassiveantlersthatfetchpremiumprices.“They’dloveforallofustobeoutofbusiness,”hesaid.(Lockwoodcountersthatthemeasuresarenecessarytoprotectthehealthofnativedeerandthehuntingindustry.)Thissummer,thestate’sdeerbreederswerescramblingasthehuntingseasonapproached.UnderemergencyordersfromParksandWildlife,breederswererequiredtotesteverylivedeerbeforeitcouldbemovedoutofitspenandontoaneighboringpastureoranotherproperty.About12,000bucksweretestedatacostof$300peranimal,Truesaid,resultinginmillionsofdollarsinlostprofitsacrosstheindustry.Theweatherwashot,andsomedeerdiedfromthestressofbeingtranquilized,whichTruedescribedasanecessarystepbeforethedeercanbetested.“It’stough,andit’sexpensive,”hesaid.Ofthose12,000buckstested,onlyonehadCWD,accordingtoLockwoodoftheTPWD.(TheTexasDeerAssociationarguestheinfecteddeerwouldhavebeendetectedunderprevioustestingrequirements.)IsCWDundercontrol?TheTexasParksandWildlifeCommissiondoesn’tthinkso.InNovember,thecommissionfurthertightenedregulationsfordeerbreeders,asfirstreportedbytheHoustonChronicle,whichhascloselycoveredtheCWDoutbreakandongoingresponsefromTPWD.Breedingfacilitiesarenowrequiredtotesteverydeerthathasreachedanageofatleastoneyearbeforeitcanbereleasedortransportedfromitspen.Inaddition,everydeerthatdiesincaptivitymustbetestedforthedisease,upfrom80percentofmortalitiespreviouslyrequiredtobetested.AndtheTrap,Transport,&TransplantPermitProgram—aninitiativethatallowsdeerandothergameanimalstobecapturedonpropertieswherethey’reovercrowdedandthenrelocatedtodifferentproperties—hasbeentemporarilysuspended.Truesaidthenewregulationsareunnecessary.Hewantstorescindtheemergencyordersandlimittestingtoeverycaptivedeerthatdiesatanageofoneyearorolder.Lockwood,forhispart,arguesthatwidespreadtestingandcullingofcaptivedeerexposedtoCWDarethepricesTexansmustpaytoprotecttheirmuledeerandwhitetails—which,asnativespecies,areownedbythepublic,nomatterwhosepensthey’reconfinedin.Notthateithersidewillbeabletoclaimvindicationanytimesoon.“Thesoberingthoughtisitmaybefiftyyearsbeforewerealizetheconsequencesofouractionsorinactionswhendealingwiththisdisease,”saidLockwood,arguingthattheuncheckedspreadofCWDwillbegradualandsubtle,untilitsuddenlybecomescatastrophic.“It’softensaidthisisnotadiseaseforourlifetimes.Thisisadiseaseofourgrandchildren’slifetimes.” ReadNext IWentSkiinginTexas ElevenCozyTexasCabinsforYourNextRusticGetaway SettoBecomeaStatePark,PowderhornRanchIsanUnspoiledCoastalParadise The12MostDangerousCrittersinTexas HowtheTurtleLadyofSouthPadreHelpedSavetheKemp’sRidley AHillCountryHideawayatContigoRanch TheBestofTexas,inYourInbox Getourweeklynewsletter. 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