Zombie Deer Disease Has Been Found at This National Park — Find Out if You Should Alter Your Travel Plans

Battling the undead in video games is exciting, but in real life, zombies are more heartbreaking than thrilling. At least, the ones who infect the animal kingdom. Recently, zombie deer disease (yes, it’s a real thing!) was found at Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia. A deer tested positive for this disease that attacks the animal’s nervous system, also known as chronic wasting disease (CWD).

According to a press release issued by the national park in March, zombie deer disease was found during white-tailed deer reduction operations and disease sampling, a practice to reduce deer populations to protect native plants, diverse forests, and historic landscapes. This is the first time the disease has been found at Manassas, although it has been identified in more than half of U.S. states.

What Is Zombie Deer Disease?

Zombie deer disease is a prion disease that happens when proteins in the body malform, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The malformed proteins slowly move to the brain and spine, causing neurological signs, emaciation, and death. It is always fatal.

Zombie deer disease affects many animals with hooves, such as deer, elk, moose, and reindeer. As of right now, there is not enough evidence that CWD infects people. However, the National Park Service (NPS) recommends that tissues from an animal infected with CWD not be consumed.

Zombie Deer Disease Symptoms

After an infection from zombie deer disease, it could take months to years for symptoms to appear, according to the CDC. Even when they do appear, many of the symptoms of the disease can also be caused by other issues, making CWD difficult to diagnose.

Here are signs and symptoms of zombie deer disease:

• Drastic weight loss leading to emaciation
• Altered gait
• Head tremors
• Teeth grinding
• Hypersalivating/drooling
• Listlessness and/or depression
• Difficulty swallowing
• Circling
• Drooping ears and lowering head
• Isolation from other animals

The only way to diagnose zombie deer disease is by collecting brainstem, lymph nodes, or rectal tissue and having diagnostic tests run in a laboratory, per the NPS.

How Does Zombie Deer Disease Spread?

In fiction, zombies affect humans by biting them — and the process is similar for animals with zombie deer disease. Infected animals can spread the disease to other animals through contact with saliva, blood, urine, or feces, and may also spread through the environment (such as in soil, water, or food). Animals who come in contact with the carcasses of animals who died from CDW can also be infected.

Per the CDC, zombie deer disease has been reported in animals in at least 32 states and four Canadian provinces as of Feb. 2024. It was first found in Colorado in the ‘60s and has continued to spread in the decades since, as the disease can live in infected soil and water for years.

According to the NPS, “Prions are extremely resistant to heat, ultraviolet radiation, and disinfectants allowing them to persist in the environment for very long periods of time (years to decades).” It’s no wonder it’s so easy for this disease to spread!

Infected animals can also shed infectious prions, spreading CWD to other animals, before they even show symptoms themselves. “Since it is difficult to diagnose disease during incubation, management options are limited,” the NPS stated.

How to Treat Zombie Deer Disease?

Unfortunately, there is no known treatment or cure for zombie deer disease. The NPS recommends limiting human-assisted cervid movement (moving farmed or captive deer, elk, or moose) and avoiding congregating cervids in potentially infected environments, such as feeding grounds and bait stations, to help prevent the spread of this fatal disease.

Can People Still Visit State Parks With an Outbreak of Zombie Deer Disease?

If you were planning a trip to Manassas National Battlefield Park or another area where zombie deer disease has been recorded, you can still go. Just take some precautions during your visit.

“Most animals in parks are healthy and thrive in their natural environment, but sometimes wildlife can get sick just like people,” the NPS stated. And like sick people (or any zombie outbreaks), you should avoid sick animals as much as possible.

The NPS has listed the following guidance to park visitors:

• Do not eat any part of an animal that is suspected or confirmed to have CWD.   
• Avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife and notify a National Park Service employee as soon as possible if you see one.  
• Always keep a safe distance from wildlife and avoid touching or handling dead or sick wild animals. Some disease-causing organisms can be passed between wild animals and people.   
• National Park Service employees trained in wildlife health use specific protective measures to safely deal with a wild animal that may have died of disease.