Lansing (WWJ) -- State Department of Natural Resources officials say a viral disease is responsible for more than 50 recent deer deaths. The deer lived along the Clinton River in Oakland and Macomb counties.
As of now, all tests point to an ailment found in hooved animals called epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), which causes excessive internal bleeding.
"It's a vascular disease. It causes damage to the blood vessels, and what we normally see in the animals is there's a high temperature that goes along with it," DNR wildlife biologist Tom Cooley told WWJ. Lethargy is another common symptom.
The deer become infected thru biting insects called midges and develop symptoms about a week later. Late summer is prime season for EHD, which is similar to another common deer ailment known as bluetongue.
"Because it occurs normally later in the summer, those would be times when your rainffall is probably minimal, so your temperatures are high, and water levels are down a little bit, and deer are concentrated in areas where these deer would frequent," Cooley said.
Humans can't contract EHD, but Cooley said cattle can occasionally contract it. He added that any sick animal should not be consumed.
EHD was last detected in Michigan in 2006 in Allegan County.
If you see a sick deer, contact the DNR's Southfield office at 248-359-9040.
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