Deadly deer disease still circulating in B.C., ministry says
A lethal infectious disease that first began affecting deer on Vancouver Island last year is still circulating in local populations, according to the provincial government.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development says 22 of 36 dead deer the ministry has examined since the start of the year have had adenovirus hemorrhagic disease, or AHD.
AHD was first discovered in California in 1993 but had never been seen in British Columbia until last September.
The disease usually kills deer quickly by causing damage to small blood vessels in the lungs and intestines, according to the province. However, it can also lead to chronic ailments, including ulcers and abscesses in a deer’s mouth and throat.
The B.C. government says that there is no evidence that AHD can be transmitted to humans, pets or livestock. However, hunters are still being warned not to eat any meat from a deer that is found dead, appears ill or is "acting abnormally prior to death."
The ministry says it is "still investigating the spread and persistence" of the disease, and it's asking anyone who sees deer with symptoms of AHD to contact it.
"The province is still interested in collecting more samples for ongoing surveillance and welcome reports of deer of any age with clinical signs of difficulty breathing, drooling, foaming at the mouth and dark-coloured diarrhea," the spokesperson says in an email.
Anyone who suspects a deer may have AHD should contact Caeley Thacker, wildlife veterinarian with the ministry's resource stewardship division via email at caeley.thacker@gov.bc.ca or by calling (250) 751-3234, the ministry says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.