Chronic wasting disease continues to be a problem for the deer herd in the Lower Peninsula. A West Michigan County reports its first positive deer.

Chronic Wasting Disease

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Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a degenerative disease that affects deer, elk, and moose. CWD was found in Michigan when its first case was detected in 2015.

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CWD is bad for the Michigan deer herd because it is contagious and when contracted it attacks the nervous system of deer and eventually leads to the animals death.

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In order to prevent CWD from spreading in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, the Department of Natural Resources banned the baiting of deer in 2018 to stop the spread of the disease. All though the ban may have slowed the spread of the CWD it is still spreading.

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West Michigan County Reports First Case of CWD in Wild Deer

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A buck was harvested in Mecosta County near the Montcalm County border that has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease. Montcalm County had already reported nearly 170 deer that had tested positive for CWD and it looks like the disease has crossed the border.

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According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the adult buck with CWD was harvested in Millbrook Township. The Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory that works closely with the DNR confirmed the positive test results.

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It is real concerning that CWD continues to spread across in Michigan's Lower Peninsula and has moved so far north. I live in Newaygo County that runs along side Mecosta County and feel its only a matter of time before we hear of a case near me.

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Michigan's 2023 Car / Deer Accidents By County

Michigan is one of the nation's worst states for car/deer collisions, with a herd estimated to be over 2 million strong. Here's an alphabetical, county-by-county look at how many deer were involved in accidents compared to the total number of car accidents in Michigan in 2023, according to data found at MichiganTrafficCrashFacts.org through the Michigan Office of Highway Saftey Planning (OHSP)

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

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