Minnesota wildlife officials have confirmed a case of chronic wasting disease in a wild deer near Stillwater.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says the emaciated female deer was reported by a landowner after it appeared sick and unusually unafraid of people.
The deer died in mid-July, and testing at the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed chronic wasting disease, or CWD, earlier this week.
DNR Wildlife Health Program Supervisor Michelle Carstensen says the case highlights the importance of the public reporting sick deer so they can be tested.
Officials say the discovery is about 30 miles from the nearest previously confirmed CWD cases in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
The DNR is now determining its surveillance and management response for the area. Statewide, the agency is also shifting to a new four-year rotational CWD surveillance plan, with mandatory testing this fall focused on Minnesota’s southwest quadrant.
Chronic wasting disease affects deer, elk, and moose. There is currently no known cure.
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