Killer in the Herds

Todd Heisler

Rocky Mountain News

Killer in the Herds- A killer is on the loose. A rogue protein, known as a prion, is ravaging Colorado's deer and elk population. Recognized as Chronic Wasting disease, and similar to mad cow disease, it poses a threat not just to the wildlife population, but to the state's hunting and tourism industry and possibly human life. Officials are now scrambling to preserve nature's most valued asset, life. 01/28/02-Crawford, Nebraska-Members of a team with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission pull up to a deer they had shot earlier in the evening. The deer will be tagged and prepared to be sent to a lab to be tested for chronic wasting disease. They had killed 100 deer in a week to monitor and squelch the disease.

Todd Heisler, "Killer in the Herds," in POYi Archive, Item #32731, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/32731 (accessed November 23, 2024).