Disease carried by insects is killing deer in Kansas
WICHITA | Deer in some parts of Kansas are dying from a disease spread by tiny insects that proliferated because of an extended drought, state wildlife officials said.
The deer are being felled by epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, which is spread by midges, tiny insects that pass infected blood from one animal to another. Because of the drought, the deer are drinking from shallow, stagnant water, which is a perfect breeding ground for midges, The Wichita Eagle reported.
"We had a guy in (Monday) who'd found 13 dead deer in two sections," said Lloyd Fox, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism big-game program coordinator. "We've had them found from about all over the eastern one-third of the state."
It also has been documented as far west as Butler and McPherson counties in recent months.
Deer with EHD often have their tongues hanging out and have lesions on their tongues. Their hooves often fall off and they eventually head to water because of high fever. Cattle can catch EHD but it rarely kills them, and sheep can be vulnerable to the disease. The disease cannot be passed to humans or pets.
Fox estimates some areas in northern and eastern Kansas may lose 25 to 30 percent of the deer herd this year. But many places in Kansas are losing only a few animals.
"In some areas (in other states) they find more than 100 deer. Most of our employees haven't found more than two or three together," Fox said.
One game warden found five dead deer together in Greenwood County.Joshua Whitehill of Latham said he saw four deer, three that were trophy-size bucks, that were thought to have died from the disease in southeast Butler County since Friday.
EHD "is definitely going to have an effect on those who hunt mature bucks this year," Whitehill said.
Fox said the worst EHD outbreak in Kansas was about 1990 in north-central regions of the state. A few years later, the disease apparently killed a high percentage of the pronghorn antelope population in the Flint Hills. In western Kansas, where water is usually scarce, deer have developed immunities to the disease.
Fox said temperatures cold enough to kill insects are the best way to fight the disease. And he said a good rain would help slow the disease because water is more plentiful and the deer spread out.
The deer are being felled by epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, which is spread by midges, tiny insects that pass infected blood from one animal to another. Because of the drought, the deer are drinking from shallow, stagnant water, which is a perfect breeding ground for midges, The Wichita Eagle reported.
"We had a guy in (Monday) who'd found 13 dead deer in two sections," said Lloyd Fox, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism big-game program coordinator. "We've had them found from about all over the eastern one-third of the state."
It also has been documented as far west as Butler and McPherson counties in recent months.
Deer with EHD often have their tongues hanging out and have lesions on their tongues. Their hooves often fall off and they eventually head to water because of high fever. Cattle can catch EHD but it rarely kills them, and sheep can be vulnerable to the disease. The disease cannot be passed to humans or pets.
Fox estimates some areas in northern and eastern Kansas may lose 25 to 30 percent of the deer herd this year. But many places in Kansas are losing only a few animals.
"In some areas (in other states) they find more than 100 deer. Most of our employees haven't found more than two or three together," Fox said.
One game warden found five dead deer together in Greenwood County.Joshua Whitehill of Latham said he saw four deer, three that were trophy-size bucks, that were thought to have died from the disease in southeast Butler County since Friday.
EHD "is definitely going to have an effect on those who hunt mature bucks this year," Whitehill said.
Fox said the worst EHD outbreak in Kansas was about 1990 in north-central regions of the state. A few years later, the disease apparently killed a high percentage of the pronghorn antelope population in the Flint Hills. In western Kansas, where water is usually scarce, deer have developed immunities to the disease.
Fox said temperatures cold enough to kill insects are the best way to fight the disease. And he said a good rain would help slow the disease because water is more plentiful and the deer spread out.
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Some Nunavut caribou infected with hoof rot
Wet summer in Kivalliq region may have helped disease spread
Hunters around Rankin Inlet are concerned about caribou they've seen limping.
Some hunters have caught caribou which appear to have swelled-up hoofs.
Jack Kabvitok is the Chair of H
A wild caribou roams the tundra near The Meadowbank Gold Mine located in the Nunavut Territory of Canada on March 25, 2009. Biologists say some of the Qamanirjuaq herd could have hoof or foot rot. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
unters and Trappers organization in Rankin Inlet. Kabvitok says it appears most of the affected animals are cows with calves, and he's encouraging hunters to kill them.
"Some hunters who have spotted them have said to kill them or to bury the carcass, because when you see a live animal suffering, you feel for them," said Jack Kabvitok, chair of the Rankin Inlet Hunters and Trappers Organization. "It's not a pretty sight. I think it's better if we put them out of their misery."
Nunavut government biologists believe it's a disease called hoof or foot rot, which usually affects weak and crippled caribou.
It's not uncommon, but it is a potential concern for the herd's health. Estimates are that between 200 and 2,000 caribou could be affected.
Biologists say it's been a wet summer in the Kivalliq region, and that may have helped the disease spread.
"What happens is these bacteria escape into these areas through the feces because the animals' feet are always contacting the ground," said Mitch Campbell, a biologist with the government of Nunavut. "The most likely places for a scratch of a caribou is on its feet. It tends to infect the feet first."
Campbell says meat from the diseased caribou is safe to eat but should be cooked first.
Jack Kabvitok is the Chair of H
A wild caribou roams the tundra near The Meadowbank Gold Mine located in the Nunavut Territory of Canada on March 25, 2009. Biologists say some of the Qamanirjuaq herd could have hoof or foot rot. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Pressunters and Trappers organization in Rankin Inlet. Kabvitok says it appears most of the affected animals are cows with calves, and he's encouraging hunters to kill them.
"Some hunters who have spotted them have said to kill them or to bury the carcass, because when you see a live animal suffering, you feel for them," said Jack Kabvitok, chair of the Rankin Inlet Hunters and Trappers Organization. "It's not a pretty sight. I think it's better if we put them out of their misery."
Nunavut government biologists believe it's a disease called hoof or foot rot, which usually affects weak and crippled caribou.
It's not uncommon, but it is a potential concern for the herd's health. Estimates are that between 200 and 2,000 caribou could be affected.
Biologists say it's been a wet summer in the Kivalliq region, and that may have helped the disease spread.
"What happens is these bacteria escape into these areas through the feces because the animals' feet are always contacting the ground," said Mitch Campbell, a biologist with the government of Nunavut. "The most likely places for a scratch of a caribou is on its feet. It tends to infect the feet first."
Campbell says meat from the diseased caribou is safe to eat but should be cooked first.
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