Ever heard of zombie deer? Heres whats infecting them (and why you shouldnt use the z-word) [Video]

When researchers in April published a paper raising the possibility that two Texas hunters had died from eating deer infected with Chronic Wasting Disease, Krysten Schuler braced herself for the tsunami of “zombie deer” headlines she expected to soon follow.

“These things crop up from time to time and the media goes bonkers about it,” said Schuler, a CWD researcher and co-director of Cornell University’s Wildlife Health Lab.

CWD is a highly contagious and fatal brain disease found in deer species such as caribou, elk and moose. Animals in latter stages of the disease become emaciated, stumble around or act listless, drool excessively, and exhibit no fear of humans. Thus, the “zombie” moniker.

The flood of zombie deer stories based on the recent research paper added a significant new wrinkle to the familiar horror story: zombie deer are now infecting humans.

Evidence for this remarkable claim is scant, Schuler said. …