British Columbia

“As soon as a deer is infected, it begins to shed infectious prions in semen, blood, urine, saliva and antler velvet to other deer and its surrounding habitat. Before death, an infected deer will drool, lose coordination, waste away and behave in a demented fashion.

The 230 people killed by mad cow disease in the United Kingdom all died in a similar and horrible fashion. That event in the 1990s occurred after the contamination of U.K.’s beef food chain by 180,000 contaminated cattle that had been fed bone meal.

Brain-eating prions simply defy traditional biology. They are smaller than the smallest known virus and can survive in tissue long after death. They can cross the species barrier and incubate for decades. They appear to be almost indestructible and can contaminate pastures, animal feed, feeding equipment, medical tools and blood. Only combustion at 1,000 degrees Celsius can destroy prion infectivity. Incredibly, prions can remain infectious after burning at 600 degrees Celsius.

According to Rowledge, decomposing carcasses flood prions into the environment, “binding to minerals and creating ‘super-sites’ that remain infectious for years or even decades.” In addition to direct animal-to-animal spread, CWD prions remain infectious on plants and almost any surface, in soil and water, and can persist in the environment for decades.”

So a 1967 lab experiment in Colorado created a disease that has already spread to three continents, and is causing the extinction of all deer, moose, elk, and reindeer - grazers that play an integral role in maintaining homeostasis of flora and fauna on Earth’s major land biomes. It can be (I read WILL BE) transmitted to other species, including humans. It infects soil, water, and vegetation where it lives for decades. It is 100% fatal.

This isn’t just affecting deer; when it crosses to humans, not even vegans would be able to avoid it.