CWD found in Alabama deer

Chronic wasting disease has been detected in a hunter-harvested deer in northwestern Alabama, making it the 28th state where CWD has been documented. The disease has also been detected in four Canadian provinces.

The fatal prion disease was detected in a sample collected from a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Lauderdale County. Alabama officials have declared the region a CWD Management Zone, lifting bag limit restrictions and antler restrictions for the remainder of the hunting season and restricting movement of deer carcasses and deer parts.

 “CWD was first detected in Tennessee and Mississippi in 2018 and has been moving slowly toward Alabama,” said Chris Blankenship, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

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