MILLERSBURG, Ohio — Ohio officials have ordered that all deer at a private hunting preserve in Holmes County be killed because the owner didn’t follow quarantine rules after one tested positive for a rare disease.
It was the first time chronic wasting disease was found in Ohio. No cases have been found in wild deer in the state, but officials are taking extra precautions during the ongoing gun hunting season for deer to ensure the disease doesn’t spread.
The Columbus Dispatch reports the order to destroy the captive herd at World Class Whitetails near Millersburg could involve hundreds of deer at the farm, roughly 70 miles northeast of Columbus. The state says they must be killed because they might have been exposed to the disease and might threaten other animals’ health.
First Published December 2, 2014, 2:01 p.m.