Chronic wasting disease (CWD) continues to spread across regions of Wyoming, according to new data released by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
In 2025, the department’s Wildlife Health Laboratory tested more than 5,300 samples and detected the disease in 3 new deer and 6 new elk hunt areas.
Jessica Jennings, the lab manager for the Wildlife Health Laboratory in Laramie, said that the disease is now widespread, particularly amongst deer populations.
“As far as deer, 35 of our 37 mule deer herds have had CWD detected,” Jennings said. “Especially in deer, it’s pretty widespread across the state.”
CWD is a neurological and degenerative disease that impacts many cervids, including mule deer, white-tailed deer, moose, and elk populations.
Jennings said the disease spreads both between animals and through environmental contamination.
“Once those prions get into the environment, they stay infective for, with research, at least 16 years, probably longer,” she said.
While there have been no confirmed cases of transmission to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends hunters avoid consuming meat from infected animals and report any animals they may suspect are contaminated.
Game and Fish encourages hunters to do this and to bolster research by submitting samples during hunting season through check stations, regional offices, or by mail-in testing kits.
Jennings said public participation remains a critical component to understanding this issue better as officials continue monitoring the disease’s spread.
