The Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Wildlife confirmed in a news release Wednesday that a mule deer hit by a car in Grand Teton National Park tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Grand Teton National Park says the positive test raises concerns about CWD and how it may affect the future of Wyoming’s deer, elk, and moose, but comes as no surprise. Mule deer in Star Valley, Dubois, Cody, and Pinedale have tested positive for the disease in the last few years.

State, federal and other agencies within the Jackson and Greater Yellowstone area are partnering with the Game and Fish Department to combat CWD as intensive surveillance, sampling, and testing in Wyoming has been ongoing since 2009.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says they have conducted tests on elk for over two decades now. In the last two years, increased surveillance has been promising as no elk that visit winter feed grounds have tested positive for the disease, but with the discovery of CWD in Star Valley and Pinedale, Game and Fish officials fear CWD is likely to arrive in elk at feeding grounds at some point in the future.

Chronic wasting disease has not been shown to transmit to humans, but the CDC recommends hunters should still not consume any animal that is obviously ill or tests positive for CWD.

Game and Fish makes announcements when CWD is found in a hunting area and a map of CWD affected areas is available online.

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