CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE IN CALIFORNIA

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been detected for the first time in California’s deer and elk. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) received confirmation on May 6, 2024, samples collected from two deer, one in Madera County near Yosemite Lakes and the other in Inyo County, near Bishop. The deer in Madera County was found dead due to unknown causes and the Inyo County deer was found dead after a vehicle collision. 

To view the CDFW press release, click below:

At their June 2024 meeting, the California Fish & Game Commission adopted an emergency regulation which defines deer hunt zones D7, X9a, X9b, and X9 as the CWD Management Zone (CMZ) and which requires mandatory sampling of all deer harvested in the CMZ.  

CDFW requested the emergency regulation to enhance CWD sampling and testing in the area where CWD has been detected to both inform management recommendation and hunters, partners, and decision makers to better protect the affected deer populations.    

For more specific detail on the approved emergency regulatory language, click below:    

  Want to do your part to help control CWD?  View this September 2023 interview with CDFW's lead veterinarian Dr. Brandon Munk to learn how hunters can get their harvest tested for CWD.   

CWD is the most important disease affecting deer and elk populations in North America (map opens in new tab).  For more information on CWD in California and throughout North America, how to get your harvest tested, what you can do to help, FAQ's, and more, click below:

To view an interactive map of the counties and wildlife management units in which CWD has been found in wild and captive cervid populations, click below: