HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officers
are investigating the cause of death of more than 50 white-tailed deer
in Greene and Washington counties.
Game Commission biologists recently submitted samples for testing from
four deer (three males and one female) to the Southeastern Cooperative
Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia and Penn State
University Animal Diagnostics Laboratory, and continue to gather
information about other dead deer being found. Once the results are
available, the Game Commission plans to release the findings to the
public.
"While we must wait for test results to confirm just what caused these
deer to die, at this time, we are suspecting that the deer died of
epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), based on fields signs that we are
seeing," said Dr. Walter Cottrell, Game Commission wildlife
veterinarian.
In 2002, EHD was confirmed in the southwest corner of Pennsylvania (see
News Release #099-02 in the 2002 Archives of the Newsroom on the
agency's website -
www.pgc.state.pa.us). That same year, EHD was
confirmed in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.
EHD is one of the most common diseases among white-tailed deer in the
United States, and is contracted by the bite of insects called "biting
midges." EHD usually kills the animal within five to 10 days, and is
not spread from deer to deer. While EHD is not infectious to humans,
deer displaying severe symptoms of EHD may not be suitable for
consumption.
Cottrell stressed that even though some EHD symptoms are similar to
those of chronic wasting disease (CWD) - such as excessive drooling,
unconsciousness and a loss of fear of humans - there is no relationship
between EHD and CWD.
Cottrell also pointed out that EHD should be curtailed with the first
hard frost, which will kill the insects that may be spreading the
disease. He noted that EHD, unlike CWD, is a seasonal disease and the
affected local deer herd can rebound quickly.
"The good news from this situation is that the public is reporting these
sightings to the Game Commission," Cottrell said. "Should the state's
deer herd be infected with more serious diseases, the Game Commission
will need to rely on the continued vigilance of the public so that we
can respond in a timely manner."
Game Commission Southwest Region Director Matt Hough urged residents to
report unusual sightings by calling the Region Office at 724-238-9523.
The Southwest Region serves Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Cambria,
Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland
counties. Residents in other counties are encouraged to contact their
respective regions.
In addition to the confirmation of EHD in southwestern Pennsylvania in
2002, EHD was suspected to be the cause of death in nearly 25 deer in
Adams County in 1996. However, tests conducted at that time were
inconclusive.
Created in 1895 as an independent state agency, the Game Commission is
responsible for conserving and managing all wild birds and mammals in
the Commonwealth, establishing hunting seasons and bag limits, enforcing
hunting and trapping laws, and managing habitat on the 1.4 million acres
of State Game Lands it has purchased over the years with hunting and
furtaking license dollars to safeguard wildlife habitat. The agency
also conducts numerous wildlife conservation programs for schools, civic
organizations and sportsmen's clubs.
The Game Commission does not receive any general state taxpayer dollars
for its annual operating budget. The agency is funded by license sales
revenues; the state's share of the federal Pittman-Robertson program,
which is an excise tax collected through the sale of sporting arms and
ammunition; and monies from the sale of oil, gas, coal, timber and
minerals derived from State Game Lands.
Release #101-07
Aug. 20, 2007
For Information Contact:
Jerry Feaser
717-705-6541
PGCNEWS@state.pa.us
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