Delaware Confirms Third Case of Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer

DNREC Community Meeting Wednesday, Sept. 16 to Provide Update on State’s
CWD Response and Explain Temporary Emergency Deer Hunting Regulations

Delaware has confirmed a third case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a white-tailed deer in central Sussex County. The new detection expands the state’s Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone (CMZ) to include Wildlife Management Zone 11, along with zones 14 and 16. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is applying temporary regulations in the additional affected area to help limit the spread of the disease.

CWD is a fatal disease that affects deer and other members of the deer family. The deer that tested positive for CWD this week was initially investigated by DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife staff as a suspected case of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD). As part of the investigation, the staff also sampled the deer for CWD and received a positive result. The deer was located just east of the Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s Jones Crossroads Landfill near Georgetown.

Delaware became the 37th state to confirm CWD in wild deer this year. DNREC has tested deer for the disease since 2003 in preparation for the possibility that it would eventually reach the state.

DNREC will hold a community meeting on the evolving in-state presence of CWD in the auditorium at Delaware Technical Community College Owens Campus in Georgetown on Wednesday, Sept.16 at 6:30 p.m. For anyone unable to attend the in-person meeting, DNREC has made participation by a virtual option available via Microsoft Teams. More information and registration is available on the de.gov/dnrecmeetings webpage.

DNREC staff will be present starting at 6:10 p.m. at the Del Tech to sign up anyone wanting to speak at the meeting, with comments limited to two minutes.

The meeting will cover DNREC’s recent adoption of temporary deer hunting and rehabilitation regulations, with Division of Fish and Wildlife staff explaining provisions of the temporary regulations, including today’s expansion of the CMZ. Attendees should note that this meeting is informational and not part of a formal public comment related to the regulations. Possible permanent changes to regulations in response to CWD will be open for formal public comment during the standard regulatory process later this year.

More information – including the latest temporary regulation, the state response plan to CWD in Delaware, a map of the CWD Management Zone, and public guidance for dealing with CWD – can be found on the de.gov/cwd webpage.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on more than 75,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X or LinkedIn.

Media contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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