Mary Dettloff, a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources, said a deer harvested during the late antlerless season in Bennington Township in southeast Shiawassee County, about 30 miles west of Atlas Township, may have tested positive for bovine Tuberculosis (TB).
The DNR is waiting for the final test results from Michigan State University before it can confirm the deer was bovine TB positive. The animal is considered a suspect, but has not been confirmed as a bovine TB-infected animal.
‘At this time it’s just one deer,? said Dettloff. ‘It could be the TB was always there, however, the study from MSU will determine the origin of the disease. Right now there’s no need to be alarmed until we test cattle and other deer.?
Dettloff said that southern Michigan’s deer population could top 1 million animals this year’enhanced by mild winters and private property and supplemental feeding by landowners. Feeding of deer aids in the spread of TB by transmitting the disease through the saliva of animals left after food is consumed. TB in the Michigan deer herd was discovered in the northeast section of the state in the late 1990s.
‘Residents should avoid feeding the deer, such actions have been banned in the northeastern sections of the state.?