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Wildlife Health Program

Wildlife Diseases

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ABOUT THE WILDLIFE HEALTH PROGRAM

Through the Wildlife Health Program, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is dedicated to safeguarding the health of Kentucky's wildlife and fostering resilient ecosystems that support the well-being of both wildlife and people for generations to come.

WILDLIFE HEALTH NEWS

NEWS RELEASE: Chronic Wasting Disease detected in Ballard County wild deer

(Jan. 7, 2026) The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has confirmed a new case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a wild deer in Ballard County. This is the third case of CWD confirmed in Kentucky’s wild deer population, and the second case in Ballard County.

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WILDLIFE HEALTH NOTICE: Recent Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza In Waterfowl

(December 19, 2025) The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources would like to remind the public of the ongoing presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Kentucky. In addition to the HPAI detections confirmed in black vultures earlier this fall, the Department has recently received notification of HPAI detections from waterfowl in Henderson and Warren Counties. These detections were confirmed at a regional laboratory and represent the first in waterfowl so far of this winter.

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NEWS RELEASE: KDFWR Expands CWD Surveillance Zone to include Nine New Counties

(Dec. 05, 2025) New Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance measures are now in effect for Casey, Laurel, Lincoln, McCreary, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Russell, Wayne and Whitley counties. The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission approved these measures at its quarterly meeting today, Dec. 5, following the detection of CWD in a deer harvested in Pulaski County this past September.

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NEWS RELEASE: KDFWR to Hold Public Meeting about Chronic Wasting Disease

(Nov. 12, 2025) Officials with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources have scheduled a public meeting in Pulaski County to discuss Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). This meeting comes in response to the recent confirmation of CWD in a hunter-harvested deer in the county earlier this deer season, making this the second detection in a wild deer in Kentucky since first being detected in a wild deer in Ballard County in 2023.

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NEWS RELEASE: Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in Pulaski County Wild Deer

REPORT SICK OR DEAD WILDLIFE

	CALL Kentucky Fish and Wildlife at 1-800-858-1549 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern) on weekdays.
	CONTACT your county's regional biologist.
	SUBMIT observations online.