Mysterious "Zombie Deer Disease" Resurfaces in Southern State—Could It Spark a Wildlife Crisis?
So, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife bigwigs have just confirmed what I’d call a deer-sized nightmare: the second case of Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD if you want to impress your friends at trivia night. It’s a 100% fatal condition that turns what should be graceful woodland creatures into… well, not zombies exactly, but let’s say definitely “not their usual selves.” First spotted last year just next door in Georgia, this plague is now nosing its way into the Sunshine State’s deer population, with the latest unlucky victim found near the border. Now, they’re rolling out a “disease response plan” – because nothing says fun like a game plan for a disease that’s as welcome as a skunk at a garden party. And with no known cure or vaccine yet, you’ve gotta wonder: how much longer before we’re all starring in our own apocalyptic wildlife documentary? Intrigued or alarmed? You’re not alone.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has detected its second case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a malady that has a 100 percent fatality rate among deer.
The first case (for 2025) of the illness was detected by the Sunshine State’s neighboring Georgia.
The University of Minnesota reported at the time that it was the 36th US state to report what the academic institution dubbed a “fatal prion disease.”
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed its second case of Chronic Wasting Disease.
- The infected deer was found in Holmes County near the Georgia border.
- CWD is 100 percent fatal in deer and has no known treatment or vaccine.
Florida has put in place a “disease response plan”
Image credits: Pedro Lastra/Unsplash
The Florida conservation services noted that the most recent instance was detected in Holmes County near the state’s border with Georgia—close to where the latter discovered their first case.
“The recent case was a road-[fatality] 1.5 year old doe sampled less than a mile south of Florida’s 2023 detection,” the agency announced on its website.
Said 2023 case involved a white-tailed deer that was hit by a vehicle on a highway. The discovery prompted a “disease response plan.”
Florida’s conservation agency says it is taking the diagnosis seriously
Image credits: Difficult_Cat1110
Like the pledge accompanying its announcement two years ago, the recent confirmation stated:
“The FWC and its agency partners take CWD very seriously and are continuing with their comprehensive response plan with the goal of containing the disease within the area it was detected.”
“Because the second case is close to the original case, there will be no changes to the Management or Enhanced Surveillance Zones,” the website declared.
Florida has since tested 2500 deer for the illness
Image credits: PetnurseSue
The government website shows that the state has since checked a total of 2406 deer, and confirmed that 2 tested positive for CWD.
The FWC breakdown also shows that 90 evaluations are pending.
Experts advise against eating affected animals’ meat for fear of it leading to illnesses like mad cow disease
Image credits: povertybayhunt
@ericaachristinee i had no clue what was wrong with it but apparently it’s cutaneous fibromas that are caused by a virus specific to deer and aren’t usually harmful to them but lord it looks painful 😣 #deer#nc#papillomavirus♬ this was everything for me – i don’t like mirrors
The University of Minnesota describes the illness as a “fatal neurodegenerative disease,” caused by “infectious misfolded proteins” or prions.
The academic institution’s online platform notes that it can be contracted by other members of the Cervidae family, like elk and moose, through “environmental contamination.”
While not known to affect humans, experts advise against eating affected animals for the fear that it could trigger bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as mad cow disease.
It must be noted that aside from the loss of weight and bodily functions in the late stages of the illness, there are no visual symptoms in affected animals.
CWD is not to be confused with the wart-like cutaneous fibromas found on deer, wild rabbits, and squirrels
Image credits: Jakeymakeme
Social media has since caught wind of the outbreak, and one netizen observed, “Eating a zombie deer is 100% safer than anything you buy in your local grocery stores.”
Said “zombie deer” is the moniker given to cervids that have been seen with large warts on their skin.
These unsightly growths are known as cutaneous fibromas, which can be passed from deer, rabbits, and squirrels but are relatively harmless to their hosts.
Unlike the fatal CWD, the only time cutaneous fibromas can lead to their hosts passing away is when they affect their ability to forage and eat or evade predators.
The term “zombie deer” has been pinned on animals with cutaneous fibromas and, more recently, those with CWD
Image credits: Jakeymakeme
“What in the world is a zombie deer?” asked another netizen, unfamiliar with the term connected to the warty animals
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