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Deer with Chronic Wasting Disease Found Near Nucla

National Park Service
The National Park Service monitors deer for chronic wasting disease using radio collars in this photo from Rocky Mountain National Park

Colorado Parks and Wildlife reports that a buck deer found dead near Nucla in March has tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

Seven deer with the disease were reportedly found between Montrose and Delta over the past year, but this is the first in the west end of Montrose County. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal, prion-caused illness similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease. Chronic wasting has not been definitively linked to human health problems, but officials urge hunters to take precautions when handling deer, elk, or moose carcasses in areas where the illness occurs.

Gail Binkly is a career journalist who has worked for the Colorado Springs Gazette and Cortez Journal, and was the editor of the Four Corners Free Press, based in Cortez.