MDC reminds residents not to place food attractants in CWD counties

Missouri boasts one of the largest deer herds in North America, topping 1 million in number. Missouri’s deer herd has been affected by chronic wasting disease in several counties. CWD is a prion disease, or a disease that affects an animal’s nervous system. CWD affects deer, elk, reindeer, sika deer and moose. It might take more than a year before an infected animal develops symptoms, which can include drastic weight loss (wasting), stumbling, listlessness and other neurologic symptoms. CWD can affect animals of all ages, and CWD is fatal to animals, as there are no treatments or vaccines. One of the ways that the Missouri Department of Conservation tries to slow the spread and frequency of the disease is by restricting feeding of wildlife in counties that have been infected with CWD.