Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency tests possible new case of CWD

CHESTER CO., Tenn. — There is a possible new case of chronic wasting disease in West Tennessee.

If confirmed, it will be the first ever case for Chester County.

“45 minutes to an hour it would just stand there, then it would move a little bit and walk in a circle,” Chester County resident James Cawthon said.

Cawthon says the deer stood in his front yard for nearly five hours. He says that he immediately notified the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, on suspicion that it could be chronic wasting disease.

“Most of the symptoms are a deer that’s confused… a deer that is drooling,” said Amy Spencer with the TWRA.

Cawthon says it definitely displayed some of those symptoms.

“It was kind of salivating from it’s mouth, and it’s tongue was hanging out, and it walked in circles,” Cawthon said.

While the TWRA do not know if the deer was affected by CWD, they did decide it was best to end the deer of further suffering.

One reason the TWRA hesitates to predict the disease is because of the type of deer it was. The officer on the scene says it was a yearling deer, which is not the type to contract CWD.

“We have taken the deer and we will test it just to make sure,” Spencer said.

The TWRA says there have been 185 confirmed cases of chronic wasting disease in Madison County, Hardeman County and Fayette County.