New York has confirmed its first case of chronic wasting disease in a wild deer in more than two decades.
Livingston County Detection Triggers State Response
State environmental officials announced that an adult female white-tailed deer harvested in the Town of Sparta tested positive for the always-fatal neurological illness, marking the first wild-deer detection in New York since 2005. The positive sample emerged from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s statewide annual wild deer surveillance program after a hunter harvested the animal on Oct. 3, as reported by Hoodline.
Tissue samples underwent initial testing and retesting at the New York State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University, with confirmatory testing subsequently underway at a United States Department of Agriculture laboratory in Ames, Iowa.
Since 2002, the DEC has tested more than 70,000 wild deer statewide. Previous confirmed cases in New York occurred in 2005 in Oneida County in both captive and wild deer, and in 2024 when CWD was confirmed in a captive red deer herd in southern Herkimer County.
Chronic wasting disease is caused by misfolded proteins called prions that attack the brain and central nervous system of members of the deer family, including white-tailed deer, moose, and elk. The disease is always fatal to infected animals, which can carry it for months or years before showing physical symptoms.
“So, our first step is going to be to determine the extent of the outbreak and the prevalence of CWD within the wild deer,” said Brendan Quirion, Big Game Unit section head.
“The good news here is hopefully our detection could have been early, and if it is early in detection, there are some chances that we can manage the disease or potentially even make it go away in the state,” Quirion told Spectrum News.
“Deer can look otherwise healthy when they're harvested,” Brendan Quirion, Big Game Unit section head, told WHEC. The discovery triggered the implementation of New York’s CWD Response Plan, developed jointly by the DEC and the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.
State Establishes Six-Town Containment Area and Mandatory Testing Rules
In response to the positive test, the state established a six-town containment area covering Conesus, Groveland, North Dansville, Sparta, Springwater, and West Sparta. The containment measures are slated to remain in place for five years.
Hunters harvesting deer within the containment zone face strict protocols, including mandatory tissue sample submissions. Regulations prohibit transporting whole deer out of the area without a permit, moving high-risk animal parts such as brains, spinal cords, spleens, and eyes, and possessing any deer killed by a motor vehicle within the containment zone.
The DEC is banning the transfer of any cervids from captive operations inside that zone, halting rehabilitation efforts for deer originating there, and limiting how items like urine products are used and carried beyond the containment perimeter.
To process samples, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation opened a dedicated check station at the Livingston County Center for Emergency Operations building located at 3360 Gypsy Lane in Mount Morris. The facility operates seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 20, before shifting to an 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. schedule starting Nov. 21 through Dec. 13.
Hunters have the option to drop off specimens at a designated collection point, taxidermist, participating meat processor, or official DEC check station, and may also deliver only the animal’s head to a specialized drop site.
DEC began collecting on-site samples at containment-area collection stations on Nov. 12. To verify where the animal was taken, hunters are urged to mark deer acquired within the containment zone using change of possession paperwork or paper carcass tags.
Vermont Penalizes Illegal Animal Transport and Prohibits Certain Imports
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reminded hunters that its carcass importation regulations penalize illegal animal transport from affected states with fines of up to $1,000 and the loss of hunting and fishing licenses for one year.
Vermont policy strictly forbids bringing in or holding moose, deer, elk, or any portions thereof originating from Canadian provinces or U.S. states with a history of chronic wasting disease, as well as from any farm or captive hunting operations regardless of where they are situated. Vermont also prohibits using any type of natural deer urine-based or deer body fluid attractant scents in the state due to the CWD threat.
“CWD is a very persistent disease that can spread in several ways,” said Vermont Director of Wildlife John Austin, noting that the rule applies to successful hunters returning from nearby areas including New York.
New Hampshire Fish and Game said that it has tested over 9,000 deer since 2002 without detecting CWD, while reminding hunters traveling out of state to follow carcass importation regulations. Officials from New Hampshire who can be contacted include Becky Fuda and Andy Timmins.
Even though public health agencies note that human cases of chronic wasting disease have never been documented, federal health agencies recommend that hunters seriously evaluate getting elk or deer tested prior to consumption, particularly within regions where CWD is present, while the DEC similarly instructs hunters to wait for test outcomes before eating any venison.
The DEC hosted a virtual informational webinar on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. to discuss disease management and containment plans with the public, with additional in-person public outreach scheduled in Livingston County.
