Montana officials yesterday announced chronic wasting disease (CWD) identifications in two hunting districts (HDs) with no previously reported cases.

The affected animals were a mule deer buck in HD 515 north of Columbus and a male white-tailed deer in HD 525 west of Nye. Both were harvested by hunters, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) said in a news release.

CWD, a fatal neurodegenerative disease of cervids such as deer and elk, was first found in Montana's wild herds in 2017. Since then, it has been detected in different regions of Montana, including multiple other HDs in the south-central part of the state.

So far this year, nearly 9,000 CWD samples have been collected from deer, elk, and moose from across Montana, leading to the identification of 321 positive cervids. Most samples were from hunter-harvested animals, but some were collected from roadkill and animals displaying CWD symptoms.

Hunters can still get their harvested cervids tested for CWD throughout the muzzleloader heritage season and the elk shoulder season, MFWP said.

Hunters can help slow the spread of CWD by disposing of animal carcasses properly after harvesting the meat.

"Hunters can help slow the spread of CWD by disposing of animal carcasses properly after harvesting the meat," the news release said. "This includes leaving carcass remains at the kill site when possible or bagging the carcass and disposing of it in a Class II landfill."

CWD is caused by misfolded infectious proteins called prions, which are extremely resilient and can persist in the environment for years. CWD can spread from animal to animal and through environmental contamination.

While no human CWD cases have been reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization advise against eating meat from sick cervids and urge taking precautions when handling carcasses.