Texas Parks and Wildlife ask for public’s help to track deadly deer disease

LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Parks and Wildlife officials have asked the public to look out for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The neurological disease has spread throughout deer in Texas, attacking their brains and causing them to act almost like zombies before eventually killing them.

“It overwhelms the population and pretty well turns these deer in zombies,” said Judd Blanchard, a local hunting guide.

It can sometimes take up to two years for symptoms to show in deer, making the disease especially insidious because it can be difficult to track before then. 

“The deer are real skinny, or it looks like they’re foaming out of their mouth, and kind of like they’re wandering around lost, like they just, they have no sense of direction,” said Blanchard.

If it is not caught early and contained, the disease can decimate populations.

Read the full article on everythinglubbock.com, published March 7, 2021.