UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- David Wolfgang Doesn't Mean To Minimize The Danger That Chronic Wasting Disease Poses To Pennsylvania's Deer Herd When Or If It Arrives. He Concedes That The Always-fatal-to-deer Malady Could Spell Disaster.

"But if we manage our deer herd wisely -- keeping deer densities low and not allowing animals to be congregated -- CWD is much less likely to become a big problem in Pennsylvania," says the extension veterinarian in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. "We must not allow CWD to become established, and we need to act aggressively to keep it from spreading should it show up."

CWD's biggest impact, Wolfgang points out, might be on the budgets of state agencies such as the Game Commission and the Department of Agriculture, which will be forced to spend millions testing deer for the disease annually. "If you look at what has happened in states such as Wisconsin and Illinois where this disease has shown up, it hasn't wiped out the deer herds. But the wildlife agencies in those states acted aggressively when CWD was discovered, and deer populations in targeted areas were reduced so it wouldn't spread and get a foothold. The disease has not become the epidemic people feared it would."

However, battling the disease is costly. Wisconsin spent about $14 million to combat CWD the first year after it was discovered there in 2002, according to Wolfgang, and it has spent about $5.5 million every year since, with almost all of that money coming from hunting license fees.

"Deer density is the big issue with CWD," says Wolfgang. "The deer densities Pennsylvania experienced in recent decades before deer numbers were lowered might have been a problem. We know the best way to keep our deer herd healthy -- and the best way to prevent the spread of CWD and other diseases -- is to keep deer densities low and not allow animals to congregate."

Deer congregate in Pennsylvania when individuals feed them, especially in winter. In general, deer feeding is not a biologically sound idea, according to Gary San Julian, Penn State professor of wildlife resources. "Artificial feeding holds little value for deer at best, and could be harmful at worst," he says. "The feeding of wildlife creates serious problems for the animals and the people who feed them. We have seen throughout the nation that feeding wildlife has led to human/wildlife conflicts -- it is evident with deer, bears, coyotes, raccoons and other wildlife species.

"Despite the evidence, it is hard to get individuals to stop feeding wildlife because they like to view them and believe they are helping them," San Julian adds. "But in reality, they are setting up a situation for disease transmission and for serious, and in some cases lethal, consequences for people and wildlife." Even in the face of CWD in several states, it has been difficult to stop people from feeding deer. In Wisconsin and Michigan, deer feeding has become a political issue that is still contested. New York wildlife officials first outlawed deer feeding near roads to help reduce deer-car accidents, and in 2002, the state banned feeding of deer altogether. The decision was unpopular. Ironically, an Empire State lawmaker was scheduled to introduce legislation that would have lifted the ban the very day that CWD was discovered in New York deer in April. That legislation, obviously, was never proposed.

"A lot of groups still feed deer in the winter, and the practice can artificially increase natural carrying capacity," San Julian says. "Congregating the animals with feeding not only can spread disease, it results in the surrounding habitat getting unnaturally impacted. With CWD found in the wild less than 100 miles from our northern border, it is time for Pennsylvania to re-evaluate the practice of deer feeding."

Wolfgang's big fear is that CWD might get into the high-density deer populations of suburban Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. "If that happens, all bets are off," he says. "In those suburbs where we are having great difficulty bringing deer numbers down, and where deer congregate, eating shrubbery and landscaping plants, dealing with CWD would be a political nightmare. Many of the people living in the suburbs like having lots of deer around.

"But if you look around the country -- even though people are concerned about CWD -- if we monitor the deer herd and have a plan in place to deal with it if it's found here, the chances are pretty good it won't develop into an epidemic," Wolfgang adds. "If there is a case out in the wild where the deer density is now low, the sick animal may die and we wouldn't even know about it. Good deer management and good deer habitat management make for healthy deer."

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EDITORS: Contact Dave Wolfgang at 814-863-5849 or by e-mail at jxc16@psu.edu; contact Gary San Julian at 814-863-0401 or by e-mail at jgs9@psu.edu.

Writer-Editor: Jeff MulhollemOffice 814-863-2719 FAX 814-863-9877