After multiple deer die from disease, East Dundee paying company to remove them

East Dundee is budgeting $8,000 for the removal of deer dying on private and public property from a disease spread through insects.

The village has been actively monitoring an increase in white-tailed deer deaths due to epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) and working with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on the local outbreak, Public Works Director Phil Cotter said.

Village crews picked up the first carcass on Aug. 7 and have had to remove about 20 other deer, Cotter said. A majority of the animals have been found in the Lakewood subdivision.

Out of concern for the safety of public works staff, East Dundee started working with Graver Horse Removal to remove the carcasses, he said. The Kendall County company charges $350 per animal and takes the remains to a facility in DeKalb County.

Graver is licensed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture and has removed four deer to date, he said.

Cotter was given village board approval this week to continue outsourcing the work and to collect carcasses from private property.

East Dundee policy states that the village doesn’t remove dead animals from private property, Trustee Kathleen Mahony said, but “this is an exception.”

It’s not like a dead squirrel or raccoon, she said, which can be placed in a wooded area and allowed to decompose naturally. Removing a dead deer is “beyond the scope of an average homeowner,” Mahony said. “It’s my opinion this is a bigger public health matter.”

Trustees agreed to contract with the company for an amount not to exceed $8,000.

“I think it’s a fair number for now,” Interim Village Manager Franco Bottalico said.

The peak season for EHD is late summer and early autumn, according to the Center for Food Security and Public Health.

The disease is spread through midges, which are gnat-like biting insects also known as no-see-ums, the center’s website says. The disease poses no health risk to humans or pets like cats and dogs.

Humans should not touch or approach a dead or sick deer, and household animals should be kept away from carcasses, the center advises.

Any sighting of deceased or symptomatic deer should be reported to the village. Police can be called out to euthanize dying animals as needed, Cotter said.

Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation officials told Cotter that the last time the disease struck at this rate was in 2012 and 2013. Experts say there’s nothing that can be done to prevent the disease, Cotter said.

McGraw said their policy is to allow carcasses to decompose naturally, which is similar to rules followed by the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Cotter said.

At the meeting, resident Maurice Martin thanked the village for its quick response in removing deer carcasses and asked to return to the board at a later date to share the research he has done on managing deer herds.

“My goal is to simply start an open dialogue and share helpful research toward developing a strategy for deer herd management,” he said.

Mahony agreed that a bigger issue is how the deer population has overtaken the area, which has led deer to compete for resources and created unhealthy herds.

To report a deer carcass that needs removal or for more information, call (847) 426-2822, Ext. 1, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.