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CLOUDY Temp: 39 °F Wind: SSE at 4 mph Wednesday, April 2, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend February 27, 2003 Infected deer killed to prevent spread of disease By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune MERLIN — A state biologist euthanized five black-tailed deer Wednesday at Wildlife Images Rehabilitation Center in a somber ending to a study on whether deer that survive infection from a deadly virus still can pass it on to other animals. In cooperation with Wildlife Images leaders, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Mark Vargas shot the five deer that were penned at Wildlife Images for the past year for a study on the infectious adenovirus, which is killing wild deer across Western Oregon. The deer all had survived adenovirus infection as fawns, and originally were to be killed under an ODFW policy mandating that infected animals not be released in the wild. But these deer instead were studied to learn whether adenovirus survivors eventually could become disease-free, and whether virus carriers could infect other deer. The infected deer continued to test positive for the virus and likely passed it on to other blacktails at the center, prompting Wednesday’s actions, Vargas said. "We knew this would be a sensitive issue, and it was," Vargas said. "There’s no way we were going to release knowingly infected deer into the wild population. "It’s not like we enjoy euthanizing animals," he said. "It’s one of your duties when you are responsible for protecting the health of native wildlife." The meat was salvaged and will be fed to carnivores at the center, which cares for sick and injured animals. These carnivores are not susceptible to the disease. Wildlife Images Director David Siddon said volunteers and staff had "kept our fingers crossed" that the study would result in the deer earning a trip back to the wild. But when evidence pointed toward continued virus problems and with the ODFW’s policy, killing the deer was inevitable, Siddon said. "We all have that Disneyland vision in our minds here," Siddon said. "Everybody gets so emotionally attached when they have two years (of care) into them." The only other possibility would be "warehousing" the deer there for the remainder of their lives, but that would risk their escape, continued infection of deer there and other potential problems for these high-stressed animals that do not respond well to perpetual penning, Siddon said. First diagnosed in Northern California nine years ago, the adenovirus hemorrhagic disease is now believed responsible in the late 1980s for killing hundreds of deer whose deaths originally were attributed to blue tongue. The virus has been documented in most Western Oregon counties. A deer can catch the virus simply by breathing air from an infected animal. Once infected, the deer can suffer from bloody diarrhea that can scour the animal or mouth lesions that keep it from feeding. Humans and pets are not considered at risk. While the adenovirus has similar strains affecting cattle and sheep, there are no known instances of the virus spreading from deer to other animals. The virus can germinate in less than a week after infection. When it does, it is especially tough on fawns, killing as many as 80 percent of them while downing at times one of every four infected adult deer. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S