Artificial Attractants: Implications for Disease Management in Deer

Area of Science:

• Wildlife Ecology
• Disease Ecology
• Prion Disease Research

Background:

• Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease affecting cervids.
• Animal attraction to artificial attractants (AA) like feed can increase disease transmission.
• Understanding how AA density and configuration affect deer contact rates is crucial for CWD management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of artificial attractant (AA) density and configuration on mule deer contact rates.
• To model deer movement and contact patterns in response to varying AA scenarios.
• To assess the effectiveness of different AA removal strategies on reducing deer interactions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an individual-based movement model for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).
• Simulated 6 AA densities (0-1 AA/km²) and 6 AA configurations (random vs. clustered, removal strategies).
• Analyzed contact rates, unique contacts per individual, and AA usage under different AA scenarios.

Main Results:

• Decreasing AA density generally increased unique contacts per individual and deer visiting AAs.
• Selective removal of AA near preferred habitats led to higher contact rates and more diverse interactions.
• Removing all AAs at a farm was more effective at increasing contact rates than random removal across farms.

Conclusions:

• Deer responses to AA removal are complex; contacts may increase due to attraction to remaining AAs.
• Broad-scale, "all or nothing" AA removal may be necessary to prevent deer congregation.
• Further assessment is needed on the combined effects of AA removal and deer density reduction for CWD control.