Abstract
The summer and fall of 2012 had a reported white-tailed deer death toll of 14,898 as a result of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease in Michigan. These cases include those which were confirmed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and those that were suspected. This makes the 2012 outbreak 13 times worse than the previous worst outbreak in Michigan which occurred in 2010. Observations of the number of deaths and spatial range of deaths due to EHD have shown an increasing trend over the past few years. Factors that influence EHD outbreaks include weather and climate, deer population size, and land type. Evidence suggests that there is a relationship between percent of lowland by township and number of confirmed EHD death. The most recent outbreak caused detrimental effects to some local deer populations, while regional deer populations were left relatively unharmed. There are no practical methods of controlling the spread of the disease once it has become established in a population. Predicting the severity and timing of an outbreak is difficult, but current lack of feasible control methods makes disease prevention the most logical option. The objective of this study was to investigate the specific factors intensified the 2012 outbreak of EHD in Michigan. In addition, this study aimed to determine the most practical means predicting time, location, and severity of future outbreaks.
ScholarWorks Citation
Schrauben, Melissa Ann, "2012 Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease in White-tailed Deer in Michigan: History, Consequences, and Predictions" (2013). Honors Projects. 194.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/194
