EHD Confirmed in Dane, Sauk and Waukesha counties
September 27, 2012
MADISON – State wildlife officials have confirmed that samples submitted from deer found dead in Dane, Sauk and Waukesha counties have tested positive for Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or EHD. A number of citizens in southern Wisconsin contacted the Department of Natural Resources with recent observations of small groups of dead deer. EHD has now been confirmed in Columbia, Rock, Sauk, Dane and Waukesha counties.
DNR wildlife health specialists submitted the samples for testing to Michigan State University’s Diagnostic Center for Population & Animal Health, which confirmed they died of EHD. Additional tests of deer from Columbia, Iowa, Jefferson and Marquette counties are pending and expected within the next one to two weeks
“Our neighbor states have been seeing EHD outbreaks for the last several weeks and now it has made its way into southern Wisconsin,” said Eric Lobner, DNR southern Wisconsin wildlife supervisor. “It is a fairly common disease carried by midges, commonly referred to as no see ums, which are not a threat to humans, so there is no cause for alarm. We are fortunate that the public is tuned into our deer and was quick to report these small pockets of problems. By sharing information about the outbreak, we are hoping to get help from the public by providing more eyes on the ground in order to continue to collect observations of sick or dead deer. These observations will help us more clearly understand the geographic distribution and number of deer affected by this disease, and help inform our deer management decisions for next season. We are optimistic, with the cold overnight temperatures recently that we will soon see this outbreak come to an end.”
EHD is often fatal, typically killing an infected deer within seven days. The last EHD observation in Wisconsin was in 2002 in Iowa County where 14 deer died from the virus. EHD is common across southern states and occasionally shows up as far north as the upper Midwest. This year, outbreaks of EHD have been reported in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. The disease is typically short lived as the flies that transmit the disease die with the first hard frost.
Individuals that observe deer exhibiting the following signs are encouraged to report their observations to the DNR:
- Excessive salivation or foaming around the nose and mouth.
- Appearing weak and approachable by humans.
- In or near water sources. They will often lay in water to cool down or drink.
Wildlife officials say there is no risk to people or pets from deer that have died of EHD and that the venison is safe to eat. Deer carcasses can be left on the landscape to decompose. The DNR will not be collecting or removing deer that have died as a result of this outbreak.
As a result of this confirmation, the DNR is no longer collecting samples from dead deer found in Columbia, Rock, Dane, Sauk and Waukesha counties; however, officials do want to take samples from dead deer reported in counties where EHD has not been confirmed. Also, in order to monitor the geographic distribution and the number of deer affected by this EHD event, the DNR does want people to continue to report sick or dead deer within Columbia and Rock counties.
“Often in cases of diseases like this, once we have confirmed the presence of the disease our goal is to have a better handle on the distribution and the number of deer that are affected by the disease,” Lobner said. “Keeping a close eye on the health of our deer is important. Though there is little we can do to prevent the disease, with the onset of cold weather and frost, this outbreak should be over soon. Any information we can get will help us better understand the impact of the disease on our herd. ”
To report a sick deer observation please call the DNR call center toll free at 1-888-WDNR- INFo (1-888-936-7463), email DNRInfo@Wisconsin.gov, or use the chat feature on the DNR website at dnr.wi.gov/contact. Staff are available seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Please be prepared to provide details about the condition of the deer and the exact location where the deer was observed. Individuals interested in finding more information on sick deer in Wisconsin can visit the Wisconsin DNR website at dnr.wi.gov keyword “sick deer.”
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
101 S Webster, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707
Phone: (608) 266-6790 TDD: 711
dnr.wi.gov www.wisconsin.gov