Wildlife agency asks residents to report deer behaving abnormally to track disease

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Ohio Division of Wildlife is asking residents to report sightings of deer behaving abnormally, including appearing disoriented or showing little to no fear of humans, to track an outbreak of a disease.

Wildlife experts are tracking the spread of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, one of the most common diseases among white-trailed deer in the country, which is capable of killing the animal in large numbers.

The division typically sees deer with the disease every year; Deer Biologist Clint McCoy said the number of reports so far this year are "more significant" than average (exceeding 500), but not expected to be as severe as some previous years, such as 2017 (1,397) and 2022 (1,520).

"Most places that are experiencing deer mortality right now likely haven’t seen this level of mortality in several years," McCoy said.

Along with disorientation and a lack of fear, symptoms include appearing feverish, exhibiting respiratory issues and swelling of the head, neck, tongue and eyelids, according to the agency. Carcasses of infected deer are often found near water. 

The disease does not affect humans or domestic pets (such as dogs and cats), nor does it impact the safety of deer meat, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. However, the agency advises residents to never kill or eat a sick deer out of caution, since without testing one cannot be certain what a deer is suffering from. It also does not pose a serious threat to livestock, the Ohio Department of Agriculture claims.

In central Ohio, Franklin County has seemingly reported the most sick or dead deer suspected to have been suffering from the disease, according to a map shared by the Ohio Division of Wildlife. Multiple reports have also been made in Delaware, Licking, Pickaway and Fairfield counties. 

Not every report on the map is confirmed; the dark-grey shaded counties on the map have had a confirmed case. Confirmations are made possible when the Division of Wildlife can get to a deer soon enough to get a valid sample sent to the lab, according McCoy.

"Our approach is to try and get at least one confirmed EHD with laboratory testing in every county where it is present," McCoy said. "Once we get a positive, we no longer look for samples to submit to the lab and just monitor disease severity using reports from the public. The reports are unconfirmed, however given the patterns that develop in the data we can see where disease outbreaks are most severe."

The disease is caused by the bite of an infected midge, a type of fly, and outbreaks are often associated with droughts, which the state has experienced this month.  Outbreaks of the disease most commonly occur in late summer and early fall. Symptoms usually appear about seven days after exposure and deer are likely to die within three days following onset symptoms, according to the ODNR. 

Midwestern deer populations have developed little resistance to the disease – which can cause high deer mortality – however, populations usually bounce back within a few years. 

"There isn’t much humans can do to combat EHD outbreaks," McCoy said. "We have to combat the issue with education. We have to assure those that are concerned about the disease that it is seasonal and disease transmission will halt with the onset of cold weather, which inactivates the disease vector. Because of the temporary nature of the disease event, it is not a long term threat to deer populations and they will rebound to pre-disease numbers relatively quickly."

The Ohio Division of Wildlife asks those who observe a deer behaving oddly to contact them by phone at 800-945-3543, while carcasses can be reported here.