IDNR report good news for Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow deer are safe for now — from chronic wasting disease and sharpshooters' rifles.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources failed to find any infected deer after killing 20 animals during three days in March.

Village officials say that's good news, although it's no guarantee chronic wasting disease, a neurological disease fatal to deer but not apparently transferable to humans, will not spread to Sleepy Hollow.

The spring culling found two more infected animals in Gilberts and Sugar Grove, in addition to two sick animals found previously in Kane County.

Perhaps the most surprising fact in the IDNR's report was that not one deer among the 70 that were killed by sharpshooters or vehicles tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

While that is good news for the deer, for some it raises questions about the necessity and scope of the deer culling program. As my colleague James Fuller reported this week, the IDNR report may make it more difficult for the agency to secure the cooperation of local authorities for future culling programs.

Towns like Sleepy Hollow will follow up with the department of natural resources to find out about next steps. One thing is clear: the department views chronic wasting disease as a serious threat to Illinois' deer population and will continue to monitor its spread, perhaps through further rounds of culling.

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