A bacterial disease found in deer in Warren County is prompting the state Department of Environmental Conservation to ask the public to report any instances of deer appearing sick or acting abnormally.

The DEC is only investigating deer that appear to have died from unknown causes and not those that were killed by a vehicle.

Anyone in our area who sees a white-tailed deer acting abnormally or who finds a dead deer that was not struck by a vehicle is asked to report the animal to the DEC regional office in Watertown at 785-2239 or to an Environmental Conservation Officer or Forest Ranger.

“One of the ways that DEC monitors the health of New York’s deer herd is by performing post-mortem examinations to determine the cause of the illness or death,” said Assistant Commissioner for Natural Resources Kathleen Moser. “We depend on information provided by people who are outdoors to tell us when they see something that does not look right to them.”

Recently, DEC identified an uncommon bacterial disease in a deer from Warren County. DEC says this bacterial disease does not affect humans. However, DEC is seeking additional information to determine the prevalence of this disease in the deer herd and is responding to reports of deer that are acting abnormally.

Deer with this bacterial disease may have a swollen head, neck or brisket. They also may exhibit excessive drooling, nasal discharge or respiratory distress.

To aid in their investigation, DEC would also like to examine any deer that are found dead from unknown causes.

DEC says people should not handle or eat any deer that appears sick or acts abnormally.