Northern CA deer herds infected with disease outbreak, CDFW asks residents to report possible cases

MENDOCINO Co., 7/14/21 — The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has determined that a number of deer herds in Napa, Nevada, and Kern county are experiencing outbreak of adenovirus hemorrhagic disease, and has resquested that Northern California residents report any possible cases, and avoid feeding deer to prevent spreading infection.

The disease can be fatal to fawns and was the cause of an outbreak in 1993-4 that spread across 18 California counties. “Affected deer are often found dead without any obvious symptoms. They may be found near water. Sick animals may have excessive salivation (drooling or foaming at the mouth), diarrhea, regurgitation or seizures,” and CDFW asks that “Anyone who observes a deer exhibiting symptoms, or encountering a deer that has died from unknown causes, can submit the information to CDFW through the department’s online mortality reporting system.”