BENTON COUNTY, Miss. ( WJTV ) – A new chronic wasting disease (CWD) was recorded in Mississippi after a positive sample came from an enclosure.

The Daily Leader reported the sample came from an enclosure in Benton County, which tested positive in April 2024. The sample was not recorded until this week.

According to officials with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP), this is the second deer enclosure positive. The first occurred in Tate County last year.

CWD is a 100% fatal, transmissible, neurogenerative disease. One challenge of detecting the disease is that until deer enter the last stages of CWD, they often appear completely healthy. MDWFP officials said the disease is transmitted through deer by their saliva, feces, urine, or contaminated environment.

Hunter participation in efforts to control CWD includes submitting harvested deer for testing, harvesting younger bucks, and discontinuing the use of supplemental feeding and baiting to help keep deer from congregating.

MDWFP allows more deer to be harvested in CWD zones and forbids supplemental feeding in these areas.

During deer season, hunters are asked to leave the heads of harvested deer at one of the state’s 63 drop-off sites .

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