New York Activates Five-Year Containment Zone After First Wild Chronic Wasting Disease Detection in 21 Years
New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has established a five-year containment area in Livingston County after confirming the first case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a wild deer since 2005. The disease, caused by misfolded proteins that destroy brain tissue, was detected in a white-tailed deer harvested in the town of Sparta. While CWD is always fatal to deer, elk, and moose, officials state there is no evidence of human transmission. The DEC is mandating tissue testing for all deer harvested in six specific towns and prohibiting the transport of whole animals or certain deer products out of the zone. Vermont officials have also issued warnings to hunters regarding the illegal transport of unprocessed deer from New York.