More CWD cases in deer confirmed in Marion, three other Ohio counties

Marion Star
·2 min read
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COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife confirmed 27 white-tailed deer in Allen, Hardin, Marion and Wyandot counties tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) since the start of the 2023-24 deer hunting season.

The Division of Wildlife tested 2,734 deer during the 2023-24 season. Positive samples were found in Allen (one), Hardin (one), Marion (four) and Wyandot (21) counties.

Testing also was performed on deer taken through targeted removal efforts in February and March. Postseason deer removal is meant to slow the spread of CWD by reducing deer numbers in areas where the disease has been detected.

ODNR started monitoring and testing for chronic wasting disease in wild deer in 2020.
ODNR started monitoring and testing for chronic wasting disease in wild deer in 2020.

Since the fall of 2020, 49 wild deer in Ohio have tested positive for CWD, all in Allen, Hardin, Marion and Wyandot counties (one in Allen, one in Hardin, 10 in Marion, 37 in Wyandot). Allen County’s first case of CWD was confirmed in November 2023.

CWD is fatal disease, sampling continues

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer and other similar species, including mule deer, elk and moose.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no strong evidence CWD is transmissible to humans. Find more information about CWD, including a map of known locations, at ohiodnr.gov/cwd.

Sampling for CWD will continue in the 2024-25 deer hunting season. A disease surveillance area was established in 2021 to monitor the spread of CWD. Additional hunting opportunities and special regulations are in effect in the disease surveillance area, which includes all of Hardin, Marion and Wyandot counties as well as Auglaize and Jackson townships in Allen County.

The Ohio Wildlife Council approved the inclusion of Auglaize and Jackson townships of Allen County in the disease surveillance area for the 2024-25 hunting season.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife has monitored and tested deer in the disease surveillance area since CWD was discovered in the wild in 2020. The Division of Wildlife conducted routine surveillance for CWD since 2002, with about 39,000 deer tested.

CWD has been detected in 30 states and four Canadian provinces. The disease was discovered in the 1960s in the western U.S. More information about this disease is available at cwd-info.org.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Four Marion County deer test positive for Chronic Wasting Disease