‘Deathly serious’: Scientist begs public to take ‘zombie deer’ outbreak seriously

Something ain’t right with the wildlife. Back in the early 1980s scientists noted a bizarre condition in a handful of wild deer in Colorado and Wyoming. Symptoms included heavy drooling, emaciation, confusion, a creepy vacant gaze, and a total lack of fear of humans. After further study, the condition was named chronic wasting disease (CWD) and was discovered to be 100% fatal.

This is a prion-based disease so there is no vaccine or treatment and the situation is rapidly snowballing. It’s now affecting both wild and domestic game herds in 36 states, with cases also detected in Scandinavia and South Korea.

Scientists are confused, scared, and frustrated, especially the media tends to cover this as a lighthearted story about “zombie deer”. Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm spoke to The Guardian about his concerns and hit back on sensationalist stories about zombies:

“It trivializes what we’re facing. It leaves readers with the false impression that this is nothing more than some strange fictional menace you’d find in the plot of a sci-fi film. Animals that get infected with CWD do not come back from the dead. CWD is a deathly serious public and wildlife health issue.”

The infection’s symptoms, including disorientation and lack of fear of humans, mean deer with the disease are easier targets for hunters, and more likely to end up on their dinner tables. It’s estimated that across the United States tens of thousands of hunters and their families have already unknowingly consumed infected meat.

Thankfully there hasn’t been a documented case of transmission to a human, but researchers nervously note that the virus has a long incubation period. This means thousands of people may already be doomed to a horrifying neurodegenerative death and there’s absolutely no way of saving them.

In Jan. 2025 researchers made their concerns clear in a report: Chronic Wasting Disease Spillover Preparedness and Response: Charting an Uncertain Future. They say “it may be years or even decades” until the true scope of the problem becomes apparent, but underline that an outbreak  “would trigger a national and global crisis” that will have “far-reaching effects on the food supply, economy, global trade, and agriculture”.

Tom Roffe, former chief of animal health for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, sounded another note of high caution:

“This has been a slowly expanding epidemic with a growth curve playing out on a decades scale, but now we’re seeing the deepening consequences and they could be severe. Unfortunately, what’s happening with this disease was predictable and we’re living with the consequences of some decisions that were rooted in denial.”

Even worse, official guidance on containing the disease just isn’t cutting through to hunters. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told anyone planning to consume venison from an animal they’ve hunted to stop if they consider the animal was even behaving a little strangely and have done their best to advise people not to transport deer carcasses across state lines and not to dump deer remains into landfill.

Few are paying attention to these recommendations, as proven by the inexorable spread of the condition and the rapidly increasing rate of infection. So, if you’re going out hunting maybe think twice about carving up that deer and grilling up a piece for dinner. Heck, why not reconsider the whole “shooting an animal for fun” thing altogether and, I dunno, play a video game or something?