Health/Disease Study of White-Tailed Deer in Southern Florida

This is a report of the 1989-1990 research activities during the sixth year of a study initiated to obtain information on the diseases, parasites, and general physical and reproductive condition of deer in several areas inhabited by Florida panthers. Reproductive and health/disease information was collected from 39 whitetailed deer Odocoileus virginianus from five distinct areas in the Big Cypress National Preserve (BC~"1'), the Fakahatchee Strand, and private land to the north of BC~P. Of these deer, 37 were collected by shooting at night by personnel of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission and two were radio-collared deer which were killed by predators. The deer were evaluated via examinations for external and internal parasites, lesions, serologic tests for a number of infectious disease agents, determination of physical condition (weights, measurements, fat indices, etc.) and reproductive status. Deer from the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge had the best condition values and APCs and deer from Collier Enterprises land were the largest and had the best reproductive status. Raccoon Point deer, as in past years, were in the poorest physical condition and had the worst reproduction. Three deer, one from Bear Island, one from the Panther Refuge and one from Collier Enterprises land, had pathogenic intensities of Haemonchus. Prevalences of abomasal nematodes(Haemonchus and Spiculopteragia) and lungworms (Dictyocaulus viviparus) were low compared to previous years, probably as a reflection of low rainfall and water levels. Most other parasites and diseases remained the same as far as prevalences are concerned when compared to previous years. Several infectious disease agents (i.e. hemorrhagic disease viruses, parainfluenza-3 virus, and Leptospira interrogans) were prevalent in areas where range cattle occur, but were virtually absent from deer at Raccoon Point and Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, where there are no range cattle.