WASHINGTON – For the first time, white-tailed deer in Maryland national parks have tested positive for the fatal Chronic Wasting Disease, the National Park Service announced Tuesday.

CWD is a contagious, fatal disease of deer, moose and elk that causes physiological and behavioral changes, starvation and death, according to the NPS.

They added that some of those changes include depression, altered gait, head tremors and circling. Because of these behaviors, deer that have been infected with CWD have been dubbed unofficially as “zombie deer.”

Two deer tested positive for the disease at the Antietam National Battlefield, while one deer tested positive at Monocacy National Battlefield, according to park officials. Both national park sites are located in northern Maryland.

Park officials made the discovery while conducting deer reduction operations, which are done to help protect and restore vegetation and preserve historic landscapes. As part of the operations, officials monitor wildlife health, including testing deer for CWD.

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The NPS said CWD was initially found in Colorado and Wyoming in the 1960s and 1970s, and was only identified in Maryland in 2010. It is only in 2024, with recent monitoring, that CWD has been found in deer in the state’s national parks.

Officials noted that CWD spreads by either direct animal-to-animal contact or indirectly through contact with feces, soil, vegetation or other aspects of the environment that may be carrying infected particles.

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CWD is not known to infect humans or domestic animals, according to park officials. However, they advise park visitors to avoid eating venison from CWD-positive deer, along with meat from other CWD-infected animals.

They also recommend avoiding sick or dead wildlife in the park. If one is found, visitors are urged to alert an NPS employee as soon as possible.