People are putting photographs of deer on the internet that have dark, warty “flesh bubbles” all over them. You would have imagined that this is what you would hear about Colorado’s “zombie squirrels” and “Frankenstein rabbits.”
People in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have observed the strange animals, and photographs of them have quickly spread on social media.
Someone on Reddit posted a picture of a deer in their backyard and said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with her or how we can help.” Gunshot wound? A bump? Fireworks? What kind of disease do prions cause? I don’t know what to do. Someone other put up a picture of a deer with tumors on its forehead and breast and questioned, “What’s wrong with this deer?”
There is an answer, it turns out.
And even if it feels scary, it’s not the end of the world.
What’s really going on?
Animal experts explain that this is called “deer fibroma” and is caused by a type of HPV that only affects deer. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says that “these look like hard, warty growths stuck to the skin of a deer.” They come in a lot of different forms and sizes, but most are only a few centimeters across. They are usually black, have no fur, and look like they are broken or lumpy.
Deer sometimes have a number of huge fibromas, but most of the time they just get a few little ones. Is there any positive news? People and animals that aren’t deer can’t get deer fibroma from deer.
How do deer get it?
Dr. Kristin Mansfield, a wildlife vet in Washington state, told FOX13 that deer can spread the disease to each other by being close to each other:
“They come from direct contact, just like warts on people,” Dr. Manfield added.
“Maybe they rub against the same post or meet up where people are feeding them, which brings them close together.”
These growths might make the deer itch a little, but that’s all they do, just like warts do in people. Hunters are anxious about the animal’s health, but the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife maintains the meat is still safe to eat.
Dr. Mansfield said, “They can only be on the skin, and you can just cut them off.”
The growths themselves don’t damage people, but deer do carry ticks that can spread diseases like Lyme disease in places where deer are common.
The good news is that a deer’s immune system usually battles the virus on its own, and the warts get smaller and go away on their own.
Is it possible to treat it?
There is no good way to treat fibroma in wild deer.
Experts say that sick deer should be left alone. Sometimes, if they are kept in captivity, the lumps can be cut off. Euthanasia is a possibility in very rare cases where a deer can’t feed, move, or see because it has grown.
Why are there so many “weird animals” these days?
Some experts say that climate change might be a factor. Mosquitoes and ticks, which carry diseases and make people sick, appreciate it as the temperature becomes warmer.
“The Daily Mail” chatted to Dr. Omer Awan, who works at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He said, “These temperature changes are making diseases that were never common in some places common.” Lyme disease is starting to show up in locations where it never did before, like southern Canada and northern states on the East Coast, like Maine.
Awan remarked, “People are talking about it more and posting about it more on social media.” “That’s why people have been talking about this a lot more.
Experts say that “mutant deer” with bubble growths on them may look menacing, but they don’t pose a threat to people.
A lot of people are still wondering if this is just the beginning of something greater because animals in the U.S. are getting sick and acting funny due of diseases.