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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.