Two Hunters Believed First Victims Of ‘Zombie Deer’ Disease

A pair of Wyoming hunters are possibly the first Americans known to die from what is termed “zombie deer” disease. This follows warnings that the malady, which is almost always fatal in the animal population, could jump to humans.

Deer infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD), according to the Daily Mail, are “confused, drooling and unafraid of humans.” Now a study concluded the long-feared spread into humans may have already started.

One of the possible victims, a 72-year-old man, was described as suffering confusion and atypical aggression along with seizures. He was dead within a month of showing symptoms. 

The victim was initially diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), which is similar to Mad Cow Disease.

A friend of the deceased hunter also died from CJD, which is a disease that attacks the brain. His death has not been closely studied, as recently revealed by the journal Neurology, but there are suspicions that both hunters ate venison from a herd of deer possibly infected with CWD.

Researchers from Texas wrote that though the exact causation is still uncertain, “further investigation” is warranted to determine the risks of consuming meat of infected animals.

NEW: Two hunters may have become first Americans to die from a ‘zombie deer’ disease – reporthttps://t.co/WaVSmFMrUP

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) April 18, 2024

CWD is a major concern for many hunters across the country, even as some experts claim that it is not a threat to humans. It has the capacity to decimate the deer population and destroy a favorite pastime.

And possibly much worse.

To contain outbreaks, several states have isolated infected deer herds and put them down.

Joe Phillips is a regular hunter and works in Hoover, Alabama, at Marks Outdoor Sports. He told WVTM 13 that he does not believe hunters are overly worried about the outbreak, saying that “you just hope it’s isolated up there and in control.” 

However, an outbreak in Alabama would, according to Phillips, cause the number of hunters to drop. “And it might make people just want to, you know, pass up deer hunting for a little while until it’s corrected. We don’t want that.” 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that CWD has been detected in 436 counties in 32 states.