‘Town Crier’ – Briefs from the Region (2) – 11/19/19

‘Zombie deer disease’ spreads to moose

Chronic wasting disease has been spreading across the state, and the discovery in a Montana moose—a first-ever—has expanded the previously established boundaries of containment. Killed in Troy in northwestern Montana, CWD can infect all cervids, but typically only social species like whitetail and mule deer. Thankfully, moose are mostly solitary, meaning the individual is unlikely to have spread the disease to other animals. Still, the moose population for the region is unstable even without the disease. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks hopes to have a future management plan ready next year, after first collecting 400 samples from the area to understand prevalence. Animals infected with the fatal disease will excessively drool, and appear emaciated, drowsy and clumsy.