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Deadly Deer Disease Spreading

Il Dept. Nat. Resources

A deadly disease in deer continues to spread in Illinois. IPR's Jenna Dooley has more: Chronic Wasting Disease is a fatal neurological disease threatening white-tailed deer. It was first documented in Illinois in 2002 near Roscoe. There have been more than 500 cases since then. CWD has become established in areas near the Fox and Illinois rivers… and more recently in Stephenson and Ogle counties in northern Illinois. Doug Dufford is the state’s Wildlife Disease Program Manager. “Disease modelers that have been looking at this for many years have suggested that CWD has the potential to, if not eliminate deer, reduce populations to exceedingly low levels. Dufford says the infection rate in Illinois is about 1-percent.

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