RABID DEER?

American articles about deer suffering from rabies inspired a query to the MNRF concerning deer in Ontario.  Here is what I learned.

The most common rabies vector species in Ontario are raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats. Although rabies in white-tailed deer is rare, any mammal can be infected with the disease, including humans, pets, livestock and wildlife. In the past, there have been at least four cases of rabies detected in wild deer in Ontario. They were all detected in the 1980s. Through MNRF’s rabies lab, we occasionally test sick or strange-acting deer for rabies. We have not detected a case of rabies in a deer during the current rabies outbreak which began in December 2015.If you see a sick-acting deer; you can report it to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) at 1-866-673-4781 or the MNRF’s Natural Resources Information and Support Centre at 1-800-667-1940. During the hunting season, you can also call the MNRF wildlife health information line for rabies and CWD at 1-888-574-6656.