For the first time, the Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed COVID has been detected in free-ranging California wildlife. A mule deer was found to have the virus after a hunter-harvested a buck from El Dorado County. As part of the CDFW’s sampling for Chronic Wasting Disease, The deer harvested in 2021 tested positive for COVID yet negative for CWD, and the CDFW says it did not show any outward signs of illness.
Thus far, In California, SARS-CoV-2 has been confirmed in pets and zoo animals but never in free-ranging wildlife. Yet since reports of COVID detections in free-ranging white-tailed deer and mule deer in other states and Canadian provinces, the CDFW took precautions to begin to test archived deer samples for the virus from previously collected samples for CWD surveillance despite the disease never being detected in California’s deer or elk populations.
A senior wildlife veterinarian with CDFW, Dr. Brandon Munk, said “Others have shown that deer can be infected with the [COVID virus] and that they can pass it to other deer but do not get sick,” adding “We do not see [the virus] as a threat to our deer populations, but we continue to work with partners to understand better what, if any, significance [COVID] infections in wildlife may pose to wildlife and people.” Officials say this adds to reasons why deer should not be fed by people: artificially congregating deer increases the likelihood of spreading disease and may be a source of COVID exposure.
Though if you have concerns about your harvested deer, the CDFW says, “there is no evidence that people can contract COVID-19 by eating meat from an infected animal.” Yet you are encouraged to take appropriate precautions when handling and dressing game and practice good food hygiene when processing animals.
The CDFW is working with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and others to sample and test more California deer for the virus.
