Critter cans capture clean-up crews at work

(Posted February 4, 2004)

Not much goes to waste in the woods, and fallen deer — including those that die of chronic wasting disease — mean fine dining for a variety of animals. Who comes to the dinner table, and can some of these species get CWD by scavenging infected deer carcasses?

To help evaluate the possibility of interspecies transmission of CWD, Ph.D. student Cherrie Nolden runs game cameras overlooking deer carcasses she puts out at about two dozen sites throughout the CWD core area northwest of Mount Horeb. The motion-activated cameras catch clean-up critters at work — scavengers and predators that reduce animal carcasses to scattered bones.

Nolden’s cameras identify which species eat deer carrion. (The carcasses she puts out are CWD-free, so she's not helping to spread the disease.) Furred and feathered diners photographed so far include opossum, raccoon, skunk, white-footed mouse, dogs and cats, coyote, fox, gray squirrel and cottontail, along with hawks, vultures, a golden eagle and other birds. Working with area trappers, she is collecting wild mammals that scavenge deer carcasses and having them tested for CWD and other diseases.

A list of species observed near or consuming deer carcasses, with photos, is available at the bottom of the page at http://wildlife.wisc.edu/coop/CWD/interspecies transmission.htm

Nolden is pursuing a joint degree in veterinary science and wildlife ecology, working with virologist Judd Aiken, animal health and biomedical sciences, and wildlife disease ecologist Mike Samuel, Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. This research is funded by the U.S. Geological Survey.