PULASKI COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - State wildlife officials say Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been confirmed in a wild deer in Pulaski County, marking the second case of the fatal disease in Kentucky’s wild deer population.

According to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, a hunter harvested the infected 2½-year-old male deer earlier this season. Two separate lab tests confirmed the presence of abnormal proteins, or prions, that cause CWD, a degenerative brain disease that affects deer, elk, and related species.

Previous cases in Kentucky

The first wild case in Kentucky was confirmed in Ballard County in December 2023. Since then, the disease has also been found in nine captive deer at a Breckinridge County facility.

What is Chronic Wasting Disease

CWD is always fatal

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