LAUREL, Del.- The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control says it will host its first community meeting regarding the recent detection of Chronic Wasting Disease in Delaware’s white-tailed deer.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13, at the Baldcypress Nature Center at Trap Pond State Park in Laurel.
DNREC recently announced the state’s first positive test for Chronic Wasting Disease, following the detection in a hunter-harvested deer sampled in Delaware as part of routine surveillance efforts. The disease was confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory.
A second deer sampled in Delaware also tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease at the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory under the same surveillance program. That result is still awaiting confirmation by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory.
With one confirmed case and a second likely, the DNREC is continuing its longstanding surveillance of Delaware’s white-tailed deer population. As part of those efforts, the organization is working to expand public awareness and monitor the potential spread of the disease through its upcoming meeting.
The meeting aims to inform the public about Chronic Wasting Disease, provide an opportunity for questions, outline the state’s next steps and explain how DNREC's Division of Fish and Wildlife’s surveillance efforts may impact upcoming hunting seasons.
Entrance fees for attendees will be waived between 6 and 8 p.m.
For those unable to attend in person, a virtual option will be available through DNREC's meeting calendar.
