a wildlife disease (akin to bovine spongiform encephalitis) that affects deer and elk

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of elk and other deer, first recognized the 1960s in Colorado and identified as a prion disease in the late 1970s. Deer with CWD have been found in game farms, and wild elk and deer with CWD have been found in the USA and Canada.

A TSE in deer and elk.

a progressive disorder of the motor neurons in the spinal cord, brainstem, and motor cortex. It is manifested clinically by atrophy and corticospinal tract signs. The disease usually affects middle life and progresses to death within 2-6 years.