By Joe Macaluso
The Advocate
As if we needed any more scares from this pandemic, the latest from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is inspectors have found the COVID virus in whitetail deer in four states — Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania.
Louisiana outdoorsman Jack Isaacs sent out the alert and said he contacted Department of Wildlife and Fisheries veterinarian Dr. Jim Lacour about our state’s deer herd.
Lacour told Isaacs this virus doesn’t appear to be present in our deer herds, and that “evidence so far suggests it is not a significant threat to humans.”
Lacour further suggested an abundance of caution be taken during this hunting season, and that hunters should use disposable gloves when handling any deer’s respiratory organs.
The USDA report stated that COVID antibodies were found in 33% of the 481 samples collected in those four states from January 2020 into 2021. Michigan (60%) and Pennsylvania (34%) had the higher numbers while New York (18%) and Illinois (7%) were on the study’s lower end.