Even in a mild year for EHD and bluetongue viruses, which 2015 appears to be, there are always a few dead deer to be found. The dying buck in the photo above, photographed on September 1 by Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife biologist Joe Lacefield, was found struggling to get past this fence in Woodford County in central Kentucky. It was too weak to jump over. Though not all deer that contract these viruses will die, this impressive buck did.
Hemorrhagic disease (the collective name for EHD and bluetongue) pops up every year in late summer and early fall, usually during hot, dry weather when conditions are good for the tiny flying insects that spread the virus from deer to deer. Deer congregate to drink at the few available water sources, where the biting midges also reproduce and swarm. Symptoms include high fever and thirst, so sick and dead deer are often found in or near bodies of water. The two worst outbreaks ever recorded occurred in 2012 and 2007.
According to Lacefield, Kentucky’s Woodford and Anderson counties are seeing a relatively severe outbreak this year. “In my immediate area, I’d say it’s second to 2007 in severity. We have a little bit of it every year, but I don’t typically see this much.” Continue reading – https://www.qdma.com/articles/scattered-ehd-outbreaks-reported-in-2015