Illinois DNR To Test Up To 1,000 Deer For Coronavirus This Winter

ILLINOIS — The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will test up to a thousand deer for the coronavirus this winter, according to a report from Capitol Fax.

Similar tests from last year in Iowa showed the virus spreading rapidly in local deer populations. In a seven-week period from last Thanksgiving to January, about 82.5 percent of deer tested in Iowa were positive for the virus, according to one news report.

Eric Schauber, a biologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told WCIS in August that 7 percent of deer tested in Illinois had antibodies for the virus.

While it's not clear if white-tailed deer suffer any COVID-like symptoms — a captive deer study suggested they do not — and there's no evidence they can transmit it to humans, researchers say deer and other animals could provide safe harbor for the virus, allowing it to persist and mutate, even if it is largely eliminated in human populations.

The original strain of the COVID-19 virus likely jumped from a bat to a human, health officials say, and there is the potential for a new variant of the virus to jump from a deer to a human. Another worry is that deer could infect domestic livestock.

RELATED: Illinois Deer Test Positive For COVID-19 Antibodies

One study suggests the deer probably caught the virus from people, possibly from through backyard feeding, sewage discharges or even by licking a plug of tobacco.

"White-tailed deer are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 [the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans], are abundant in the United States, and often come into close contact with people," according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report. "Given these factors, we felt it prudent to further investigate SARS-CoV-2 in wild deer."

RELATED: Deer Caught COVID-19 From People, Study Shows, But Questions Loom

Wildlife officials say wild game meat, including venison, is generally safe, but should be processed and cooked properly.

Officials advise hunters to:

• Do not allow contact between wildlife and domestic animals, including pets and hunting dogs.
• Do not harvest animals that appear sick or are
• found dead.
• Keep game meat clean and cool the meat down as
• soon as possible after harvesting the animal.
• Avoid cutting through the backbone and spinal tissues and do not eat the brains of wildlife.
• When handling and cleaning game:
  • Wear rubber or disposable gloves.
  • Do not eat, drink, or smoke.
• When finished handling and cleaning game:
  • Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
  • Clean knives, equipment, and surfaces that were in contact with game meat with soap and water and then disinfect them.
  • Cook all game meat thoroughly (to an internal temperature of 165 °F or higher).
  • Check with your State wildlife agency regarding any testing requirements for other diseases and for any specific instructions regarding preparing, transporting, and consuming game meat.