Las Vegas • Zombie deer may sound like something in a bad B-movie, but wildlife regulators say they’re real and officials are working to keep them out of Nevada.
The Las Vegas Sun reports the term relates to animals that have contracted chronic wasting disease, a highly contagious and terminal disorder that causes symptoms such as lack of fear of humans, lethargy and emaciation. It can destroy deer and elk populations.
Peregrine Wolff, a Nevada Department of Wildlife veterinarian, says officials are testing dead animals and monitoring migratory elk and deer at the state line with Utah for signs of the sickness.