Targeted Hunts Were Supposed to Curb ‘Zombie Deer Disease.’ Now What?
The New York Times • • health
Key Points:
- Daniel Skinner, a wildlife manager in Illinois, spent hours attempting to cull white-tailed deer near Lowden-Miller State Forest to control chronic wasting disease (CWD), but had limited success compared to previous years.
- Illinois has conducted deer culling campaigns for over 20 years as part of efforts to slow the spread of CWD, a mysterious and difficult-to-manage illness affecting deer populations.
- Despite ongoing efforts, the disease remains challenging to control, with experts describing CWD as one of the most complex wildlife diseases to manage.
- The recent culling efforts resulted in only one deer being taken, a significant decrease from the 10 deer culled in the same period the previous year.
