A viral infection is blamed for a deer die-off on Orcas and other Islands in the San Juans.
San Juan County Sheriff Ron Krebs tells the Seattle Times that they began getting reports of deer dying with foam coming out of their mouths.
Human use of pesticides or fertilizers was first suspected but lab tests confirmed the deer were dying from a virus that’s only been found once before in Washington.
Washington State University researchers say the virus affects deer in much the same way as the coronavirus attacks humans and it spreads easily through close contact and in the air.
It was first found in California in 1993, and then showed up in Klickitat County in 2017.
The virus hasn’t been found on the mainland yet, but a Department of Fish and Wildlife veterinarian says it could easily happen