Livingston County Wild Deer Tests Positive for Chronic Wasting Disease
“Chronic Wasting Disease is a slow onset disease. Deer can look otherwise healthy when they’re harvested,” said Brendan Quirion, the DEC’s Big Game Unit Section Head, as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed the state’s first wild-deer case since 2005.
The positive sample came from an adult female white-tailed deer harvested in the Town of Sparta. The New York State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University tested and retested the sample tissue, with additional checks now underway. This marks the first wild-deer detection in New York since 2005, when cases were discovered in Oneida County, according to Fingerlakes1.com.
Mandatory Testing and Transport Restrictions Across Six Towns
State wildlife officials have implemented a CWD Response Plan to limit further spread of the fatal neurological condition. Hunters who harvest a deer within the containment area—which covers the Livingston County towns of Conesus, Groveland, North Dansville, Sparta, Springwater, and West Sparta—must submit tissue samples to the DEC. Fingerlakes1.com noted that hunters cannot transport whole deer outside this containment zone.
Hunters can drop off samples at designated DEC check stations, cooperating meat processors, and taxidermists, or submit heads to collection bins. The DEC encourages hunters and processors to use paper carcass tags or change-of-possession tags to verify the exact harvest location. Those using electronic tags must attach identifying information—including their name, DEC identification number, harvest confirmation number, and town of harvest—before transferring an animal or bringing it to a processor.
State agencies advise against eating meat from infected deer
Chronic Wasting Disease is a contagious and fatal condition affecting the brain and central nervous system of deer, elk, and moose. While late stages of the illness typically show extreme weight loss and neurological symptoms like drooling and walking in circles, Quirion noted that infected deer often appear entirely healthy when harvested.
State agencies maintain that there is no evidence linking the disease to illness in humans, dogs, cats, or livestock. Even so, the Centers for Disease Control and the DEC advise against eating venison from any animal known to carry CWD. The state has tested more than 70,000 deer since initiating its surveillance program in 2002, alongside a separate detection in a captive red deer herd in Herkimer County in 2024.
The DEC scheduled a virtual informational session for Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. to discuss the Livingston County case and potential management actions. Registration details and collection site locations are available on the DEC’s CWD webpage.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Sparta Detection
How can hunters submit deer tissue samples in Livingston County?
Hunters can bring harvested deer to a DEC check station, a cooperating meat processor, or a taxidermist, or submit the head to a designated head collection bin within the six-town containment area.
What towns are included in the CWD containment zone?
The containment area covers the Livingston County towns of Conesus, Groveland, North Dansville, Sparta, Springwater, and West Sparta.
Can humans contract Chronic Wasting Disease from venison?
State and federal health officials state there is no evidence that CWD transmits to humans, but the CDC recommends avoiding venison from any deer that tests positive for the disease.
When was the last time New York detected CWD in wild deer?
Prior to the Sparta case, New York’s last wild-deer detections occurred in Oneida County in 2005.
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