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CATSKILL – A virus that quickly kills deer has spread across the northern Hudson Valley.
The State Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed Thursday that an epizootic hemorrhagic disease has been found in deer in Greene, Columbia and Dutchess counties, as well as on Long Island. DEC reported in early August that the disease had killed two deer in Ulster County.
The DEC has received reports of more than 700 deer dead in the state and is investigating suspected cases in Albany, Rensselaer, Orange, Sullivan, Rockland, Putnam and Westchester counties.
Although EHD cannot infect humans, it causes fever and hemorrhages in deer, which may appear lame or dehydrated and often seek water sources before they perish. Deer can die within 36 hours of infection, according to the DEC.
Traditionally found in the southern states, EHD is relatively new to New York City, with the first case not appearing until 2007. The virus may have arrived by hurricane, according to the head of the gaming management section of DEC, Mike Schiavone.
Deer are infected with EHD from biting midges, and the tiny insects have most likely been blown to the northeast by hurricanes or other large storms, Schiavone said.
“Maybe that’s what happened again this year,” he said, although he added that it was also possible that biting midges blown by storms in previous years could have survive the winter cold, which usually kills insects. “At this point, we’re not sure. “
It’s difficult to compare recent outbreaks in New York to outbreaks in the South, Schiavone said, because EHD is endemic in that region and many deer have acquired immunity to the virus over time.
“Southern deer have developed resistance to the virus, so they don’t get too sick… [in New York] there is no real resistance, so we are seeing larger mortality events, ”he said. “That may change over time if we see annual outbreaks in New York City. “
After small outbreaks in the state in 2007 and 2011, 1,500 deer were killed by the virus in the Lower Hudson Valley in September and October 2020, according to the DEC. With at least 700 deer deaths suspected of the disease with the first frost just a few weeks away, the 2021 outbreak could be much larger.
At this point, Schiavone said he didn’t think the outbreak would affect the regular hunting season which begins on November 20.
The DEC manages the deer population by regulating the number of deer that can be killed in a particular section of the state. The agency issues deer management permits each year, also known as tags, the number of which is adjusted according to the fluctuation of the deer population.
Schiavone said he does not expect the number of beacons to be limited this year due to the outbreak.
Sightings of sick or dead deer suspected of having EHD disease can be reported to the DEC on their new online reporting form or by contacting the nearest DEC regional wildlife office.
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