How is this happening? It's my understanding that prions need to be ingested to spread because they're basically just malformed proteins, so are deer engaging in mass cannibalism?
this post was submitted on 29 Apr 2025
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chapotraphouse
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Deer acquire prions, the infectious agents behind Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), primarily through exposure to contaminated environments and direct contact with infected animals. This exposure can occur via bodily fluids like feces, saliva, blood, or urine, either through direct contact with an infected deer or indirectly through contact with contaminated soil, food, or water. The insidious nature of prions allows them to persist in the environment for extended periods, contributing to the ongoing spread of CWD.
Direct contact between deer, especially during social behaviors like grooming or aggression, can facilitate prion transmission through saliva, blood, or other bodily fluids. Mother deer can also transmit prions to their fawns during nursing or through placental fluids during gestation. The close proximity and frequent interactions within deer populations contribute to the ease of direct transmission, especially in areas with high deer densities.
The decomposition of infected deer carcasses releases large quantities of prions into the environment. Scavengers feeding on these carcasses can further spread the prions through their feces, contaminating new areas. This highlights the importance of proper carcass disposal in managing CWD. State wildlife agencies often recommend specific disposal methods, such as incineration or burial in designated landfills, to minimize environmental contamination.
Research suggests that some deer may be genetically more susceptible to CWD than others. Genetic variations in the prion protein gene (PRNP) can influence the incubation period and the likelihood of developing the disease. Understanding these genetic factors is crucial for developing targeted management strategies.
smdh deer not washing their vegetables 😔
We really should encourage people to post the graphs instead of twitter screenshots because conveys so much more info.
lmao they've had over 20 years to do something about this
Literally all it would take is reintroducing predators
The rancher brainpan melts into a sludge of fear and rage on the slightest suggestion that a wolf exists somewhere
we finally had wolves reintroduced in NL and let me tell ya, it's been interesting to watch.
buncha farmers complaining about losing a few sheep
Maybe 30 minutes away from the specific area where this disease originated, there's a rancher with a sign on their fence saying something like "If you voted for wolf reintroduction, leave Colorado". The other ranchers around that are raw milk reactionaries in one of the most heavily impacted bird flu states.
Everywhere in Colorado that isn't the front range cities is basically Texas
You can definitely tell we had the second highest KKK population outside of Indiana. Even in the more progressive areas that made it a 2016/2020 Bernie state, Loveland was a sundown town until the 1970s. Their town signs used to read "Welcome to Loveland - Elev. 5000 - Nationally Famous Sweetheart Town - Won’t You Stay Awhile - Industrial Opportunities - Diversified Agriculture. We observe the Jim Crow Laws here." There's an entire town near there that's known for its Nazi church, which is somehow more explicit than Loveland's God's Country Cowboy Church. Which is somehow not the only Country Cowboy Church.
There's an entire town near there that's known for its Nazi church, which is somehow more explicit than Loveland's God's Country Cowboy Church. Which is somehow not the only Country Cowboy Church.
Advanced reconnaissance on google says there are somehow 19 cowboy churches within a 45 minute~ drive of it.
Not just KKK population, we had at least one literal KKK governor.
Even in Michigan they had to reintroduce the wolf and then as soon as it finally got to a slightly sustainable population they allowed chuds to go out and shoot them again. That way they can show it off to their s***** kids that they're a real man.
Thats just what was sampled, comrade.
A total of 242 sampling locations were available throughout the state, including 166 self-sampling kiosks and 76 staffed sites. Disposal sites (154 in total), including dumpsters, landfills and transfer stations, were available for deer carcass waste.
I have to imagine they missed some. Quite a bit even. This sampling requires a voluntary interaction of some sort on the hunters part.
In Texas at least, the vast majority of CWD positives come from breeding farms/game ranches that sell cervids to other locations to hunt/increase their herds. Something like 80% of all positives come from game ranches or places w a high fenced boundary (game fence - you can tell a game breeding facility by their fences, typically 10-15' high when the surrounding properties will only have a couple strands of barbed wire 3-4' off the ground on some old salt cedar posts.) Its in 30 of the 254 counties in Texas as of early 2024 IIRC. It only took three years to get from the Hueco Mountains near El Paso, to Bexar County/San Antonio in the south of Texas. Three fucking years.
Being a Texan, even though i do not hunt, i know a lot of fellas who fancy themselves as hunters. A lot of them go on canned hunts, at the places most likely to see a CWD positive herd. The TPWD states that while the chance of crossover to humans is low it is also NOT ZERO.
How long did it take those unlucky sods who contracted CJD/mad cow to show Symptoms and then die? Its a literal waiting game. We have no clue how long it takes for the proteins to misfold to the point of symptoms showing in white tail and muleys, just that it averages around 40-50 months to die once symptoms show. Ive never cared for venison in any amount, and ive never fed it to my children, but i know plenty of avid hunters who do feed it to their kids, neighbors, etc. How long until little Timmy exhibits symptoms because Papa fed Timmy venison? Im not willing to roll the dice on that shit.
In Texas at least, the vast majority of CWD positives come from breeding farms/game ranches that sell cervids to other locations to hunt/increase their herds. Something like 80% of all positives come from game ranches or places w a high fenced boundary (game fence - you can tell a game breeding facility by their fences, typically 10-15' high when the surrounding properties will only have a couple strands of barbed wire 3-4' off the ground on some old salt cedar posts.) Its in 30 of the 254 counties in Texas as of early 2024 IIRC. It only took three years to get from the Hueco Mountains near El Paso, to Bexar County/San Antonio in the south of Texas. Three fucking years.
So they don't even actually hunt wild game? It's game bred in a farm released with no survival skills (and therefore easily "hunted")
This is probably the most American thing I've ever heard, fake astroturf rugged individualism and frontiersmanship.
How quintessentially American
so joe rogan is on some of that misfolded protein shit?
It's fun to hike through the specific area where it was discovered. You can see where the cattle ranches, farms, suburbs, and eventually survivalist homesteads concentrated the elk/deer into such a small and disconnected area. With the bear/wolf/mountain lion populations all but eradicated in the same process, there's no check on their populations outside of hunting which is prohibitively expensive. It's one of those places that really instilled my eco-Marxism.
Yeah, crazy how you've got hunting (living with the land) and hunting (being a suburban rich fuck). Outside of Indian communities, Wisconsin really seems to skew towards the latter.
THE TZAARATH OUTBREAK OF '02 
😋
Fear the Deer
