Panhandle roadkill white-tailed deer tests positive for neurological disease

(KCBD) - A roadkill white-tailed deer collected by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department personnel on U.S. Highway 87 between Dalhart and Hartley has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). This marks the first discovery of CWD in a Texas roadkill and the first case in a Texas Panhandle whitetail.

"The roadkill was found along the border between the current CWD Containment Zone and Surveillance Zone, and as a result will likely necessitate a precautionary expansion of the Containment Zone," said Dr. Bob Dittmar, State Wildlife Veterinarian with TPWD. "We do not believe there's a need to expand the Surveillance Zone at this time."

TPWD staff will present a proposal detailing the expansion of the Containment Zone during the TPW Commission's Jan. 24 public hearing. The proposed expansion of the Containment Zone will not result in any new requirements for hunters or landowners unless they are engaged in a permitted activity such as moving live deer.

The disease was first detected in the Panhandle in 2015 when a mule deer buck tested positive during routine CWD surveillance.

Additional information about CWD is available on the TPWD website.

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