For the first time, chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been detected in a state that borders Florida, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is sounding a precautionary alarm.

CWD was recently detected in a hunter-harvested deer in northwestern Alabama, making it the 28th state where CWD has been documented.

CWD, which is a brain and central nervous system disease that is always fatal to members of the deer family, has not been detected in Florida to date.

The FWC asks people who plan to hunt deer or members of the deer family outside of Florida to be vigilant in helping reduce the risk of CWD spreading into Florida.

FWC said an important step is to be aware of and follow the rules that prohibit importing or possessing whole carcasses or high-risk parts of all species of the deer family originating from any place outside of Florida.

The only exception to this rule is deer harvested from a property in Georgia or Alabama that is bisected by the Florida state line and under the same ownership may be imported into Florida?

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