First case of 'zombie' deer disease found west of divide in Libby

The first known deer with chronic wasting disease west of the Divide was recently killed in Libby.

According to a press release from Montana, Fish Wildlife and Parks, a white-tailed doe that was killed within the city limits of Libby. has tested positive for the disease.

CWD is colloquially known as “zombie” disease because it impacts the central nervous system.

FWP officials collected the doe after residents reported seeing a very emaciated and sick-looking deer.

This week, initial test results came back positive for CWD. Results of a second confirmation test are expected early next week.

CWD is a progressive, fatal disease affecting the nervous system of mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk and moose. It is part of a group of diseases called Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies. TSEs are caused by infectious, mis-folded prion proteins, which cause normal prion proteins throughout a healthy animal’s body to mis-fold, resulting in organ damage and eventual death.

CWD is a slow-moving disease. However, left unmanaged, it could result in long-term population declines within affected herds. All the states and provinces that border Montana, other than Idaho and British Columbia, have found CWD in their wild cervids.

An incident command team has been assembled to respond to the detection. The incident command team will define an Initial Response Area around where the infected animal was collected. This will include an area within a roughly 10-mile radius of the collection site. The IRA defines the area within which the disease prevalence and distribution will be determined. In addition, FWP will collect samples from road-killed deer in hunting districts 100, 101, 103 and 104.

People in the Libby area who see a deer that appears to be sick, please call (406) 291-6539 and leave a message with your name, number, the location of the animal and the time you saw it.

CWD was first found in wild deer in eastern Montana in October 2017. To date, CWD has been detected in Carbon, Liberty, Hill, Blaine, Phillips, Valley, Daniels, Sheridan and now Lincoln counties. To prevent the spread of CWD within Montana, FWP establishes CWD Management Zones in areas where CWD has been found. Whole carcass, whole head or spinal column from any deer, elk, or moose harvested cannot be removed from these zones unless the animal has tested negative for CWD.

\For more information about CWD in Montana, visit fwp.mt.gov and click on Chronic Wasting Disease Management.