HOLMES COUNTY, Fla. – A contagious disease to deer, elk, moose and caribou has been detected in Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issued an emergency order on Monday after a sample tested positive for the disease in Holmes County in North Florida.
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CWD is a contagious disease of the brain that is fatal to deer, elk, moose and caribou. In addition to Florida, this disease has also been detected in 30 states and four Canadian provinces, according to the FWC.
The executive order was put in place on Monday to try and limit the possible spread of the disease. The actions include:
- Establishment of a CWD Management Zone centered around the location of the positive sample. The CWD Management Zone includes the portions of Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties north of Interstate 10, east of State Road 81 and west of U.S. Highway 231.
- The prohibition of exporting whole cervid (deer) carcasses and high-risk carcass parts originating from the CWD Management Zone.
- The prohibition of baiting or feeding deer within the CWD Management Zone with limited exceptions.
- The prohibition of rehabilitating or releasing injured or orphaned white-tailed deer originating within the CWD Management Zone.
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The best chance at controlling this disease is controlling CWD quickly after it’s been detected to prevent more animals from becoming infected, the FWC said.
The FWC would like anyone who sees a sick, abnormally thin deer or finds a deer dead from unknown causes to call the CWD hotline at 866-293-9282 and report the animal’s location.
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