Some deer are testing positive for what some call the zombie disease in the Mid-South. Chronic Wasting Disease has been detected in deer in Hardeman, McNairy, and Fayette Counties in Tennessee. It’s also been detected in Pontotoc, Panola, Tallahatchie, and Marshall Counties in Mississippi.
The good news is there is not a known case where the disease has passed from deer to people. But wildlife officials urge hunters to have their deer meat tested. It’s too late after it’s processed.
“It was found in Colorado in the late 60s in free-range animals,” says Jeff McBride with Dino’s Meat Processing in Frayser.
McBride has been a hunter for 50 years. He says the panic surrounding Chronic Wasting Disease in deer is bologna.
“Every creature carries a disease. Just like humans carry diseases,” says McBride. “Somebody would’ve said this is affecting humans so no more consumption of wild game.”
Chronic Wasting Disease affects a deer’s brain, spinal cord, and bones. They’ll be thin, confused, and foam at the mouth, which is why it’s also referred to as the zombie disease.
The deer eventually die. The disease has never been detected in people who may have eaten contaminated meat.
Wildlife officials have set up testing stations for hunters where infected deer have tested positive.
“Hunting has been going on since the 1960s and no deer in Tennessee has ever been tested until this year,” says McBride. “Be cautious, but don’t stop hunting.”
Dr. Dan Grove, a wildlife veterinarian with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, expressed his concerns.
“Obviously there is a concern, and that’s why we don’t want to say, ‘Yeah, it’s safe to eat,’ because we don’t know that it is. We also don’t know that it isn’t,” said Dr. Grove.
Deer in at least 20 Counties in Arkansas, primarily in the northwest corner, have also tested positive for CWD.
Testing is done on the deer head and results take two to three weeks. You can contact your local wildlife resources office to find out about a testing station nearest to you.
