LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) Deer herds are a little thinner in a couple Kansas counties because of a seasonal virus that might be worse than normal because of the summer’s drought.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports dozens of dead deer have been found near lakes and ponds in Douglas and Franklin counties. A spokesman for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism says about 400 deer deaths from epizootic hemorrhagic disease have been reported.
Wildlife and disease coordinator Shane Hesting says the disease has affected only a small portion of a total deer population that exceeds half a million.
Hesting says this year’s death toll was higher than normal because of receding waters in lakes and ponds that exposed more mud, which is breeding ground for tiny flies that carry the disease.
