Sixty positive cases of Chronic Wasting Disease in deer were detected during surveillance conducted in eastern Nebraska during the November firearm deer season, Nebraska Game and Parks states.

Samples taken from deer in Nebraska last year found an increase in cases of chronic wasting disease, but Game and Parks' sample size was also much larger than in 2023.

Researchers are now racing to come up with strategies to at least slow the spread of the disease in deer and reduce the chances of it spreading to more vulnerable caribou populations — or, worse, humans.

Two deer in Cleburne County and another deer in Baxter County have tested positive for chronic wasting disease, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.