Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama
Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama
Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama
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Chronic health problems in a deer herd are usually the result of poor<br />
habitat and/or severe overpopulation. Biologists use a technique called<br />
an abomasal parasite count (APC) to examine relative parasite loads in<br />
a deer herd and its correlation to the habitat quality/herd density relationship.<br />
The APC is a count of the number of parasitic worms in a<br />
deer’s abomasum (fourth stomach compartment). A high APC number<br />
generally indicates too many deer on a given unit of habitat.<br />
Hemorrhagic disease is the most prevalent infectious disease<br />
found in <strong>Alabama</strong> deer. Hemorrhagic disease (HD) is caused by one of<br />
two viruses—epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) or bluetongue (BT)<br />
virus. These viruses are transmitted by biting midges (i.e., “no seeums”).<br />
HD is common throughout <strong>Alabama</strong> and the Southeast. HD<br />
related mortality rates generally do not exceed 25 percent, but can reach<br />
50 percent or greater (Davidson and Nettles 1997). Not all deer infected<br />
with HD die. Many deer survive the infection and are effectively<br />
immunized against subsequent outbreaks. This “immunization” is<br />
known as antibody prevalence. Outbreaks are more pronounced with<br />
greater mortality in years where overall antibody prevalence in a deer<br />
herd is low.<br />
Symptoms of HD include internal hemorrhaging, sloughing<br />
hooves, and lesions in the mouth and on the tongue. Other health problems<br />
may include a swelling of the head, neck, and tongue. Respiratory<br />
distress and blood in the urine and saliva are common symptoms as<br />
well. <strong>Deer</strong> that have succumbed to HD often are found dead near streams<br />
and ponds. <strong>In</strong>fected deer often seek water in an apparent attempt to<br />
relieve fever and dehydration associated with the disease. Outbreaks<br />
seem to occur in late summer, when numbers of the disease vector<br />
20