"Two deer tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease at Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland during recent white-tailed deer reduction operations and subsequent disease sampling. This is the first CWD-positive detection at Catoctin Mountain Park. 

In 2024, three nearby national parks - Antietam and Monocacy National Battlefields and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park - received their first CWD-positive test results, followed by Gettysburg National Military Park in 2026. 

CWD has been found in deer, elk, moose and similar animals. It has been reported in the United States, Canada, Norway, Finland, Sweden and South Korea. As a prion disease, it occurs when proteins in the body misfold and cause brain damage and other symptoms, ultimately leading to death within months or years.

Catoctin Mountain Park and other national parks in the area reduce deer populations to protect and restore native plants, promote healthy and diverse forests, and preserve historic landscapes. Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia national parks conducting deer reduction operations participate in CWD monitoring programs for wildlife health. Until 2024, all results for these parks had been negative."

National Parks Traveler had the story April 9, 2026. [2]