Suspected Disease Outbreak Hitting Princeton's Deer Population

Princeton NJ

24 September, 2021

10:21 AM

Description

PRINCETON, NJ — The township has asked residents to immediately report sick of dead deer to Animal Control, after The Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife confirmed Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in the White-Tailed Deer population of New Jersey. In Princeton, the first suspected case of EHD was found by Animal Control on Aug. 30 in the Oak Ridge area of town, the township said. Since then, 25 deceased deer suspected of carrying EHD have been documented. The disease is contracted from the bite of an insect called midges. The outbreak among the deer population usually begins in late summer and it cannot be transmitted to people, according to the NJDEP. Humans are not at risk by handling infected deer, being bitten by infected midges, or eating infected deer meat, officials said. However, the Division of Fish and Wildlife advises against eating the meat of any game animal that appears sick. Symptoms of EHD in deer include difficulty standing, drooling, and foaming from the mouth or nose. Since the disease causes fever, sick or dead deer are often seen in or near water. Transmission of the disease ends when midges are killed by the frost, the NJDEP said. Residents can report sick or deceased deer through Princeton's Online Portal or call (609) 924-2728. The townsho['s Animal Control is providing carcass pick up Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and forwarding all information to NJ DEP.