Gift to fund Virginia Tech White-Tailed Deer Research
A recent gift to Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment will help jump-start research aimed at understanding how chronic wasting disease (CWD) is impacting the health of white-tailed deer in Virginia.
The $30,000 gift, which will help fund graduate research in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, reflects the grassroots fundraising efforts of Virginia Hound Heritage.
“This research is a perfect fit for our group,” said spokesman William Hart Gillette ’71, who worked with the group’s board of directors to secure funding. “White-tailed deer are the No. 1 animal for hunters, and it is a practice that generates a lot of revenue in the state. We felt like we had a vested interest in helping to tackle the problem.”
Assistant Professor Luis Escobar, a specialist in wildlife health, said understanding the dynamics of disease transmission is critical to finding a solution.
“Studies suggest that CWD poses a large potential threat to wildlife conservation due to deer mortality and the effects on genetic diversity in affected populations,” said Escobar. “The disease has been detected in free-ranging deer species in 29 U.S. states, including the northern and southwestern parts of Virginia.”
To understand the dynamics of how the disease spreads, Escobar will lead a study with Assistant Professor Brett Jesmer, an expert on deer ecology and animal movement. The group will use molecular tools to understand disease transmission in the state.
“With the help of this gift, we will undertake an extensive investigation into CWD transmission risks across Virginia. The goal is to estimate the paths, directions, and extent of future disease spread,” said Escobar.
