CWD Found in a Wild Texas Deer for the First Time Ever

CWD found in a free-ranging deer for the first time in the Lone Star State.

Chronic wasting disease or CWD has been in Texas since 2012, but it has stayed confined to captive facilities. Until now, that is.

Texas authorities are announcing they have discovered the debilitating neurological disease in a free-ranging animal for the first time ever. The positive animal, a whitetail buck, was located west of San Antonio in Medina County.

In response, a CWD containment zone has been established via executive order by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

"This emergency action allows us to contain the threat of this disease spreading any further while we collect more information and gather data," Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Chairman T. Dan Friedkin announced.

This means no one will be allowed to move live deer or carcasses out of the area of containment while officials collect more samples from roadkill and captive animals for testing.

The measures are similar to containment zones often enacted in other states in response to outbreaks of the always-fatal disease.

"Not only are these temporary emergency measures necessary and consistent with the state's planned strategies for CWD management, they are essential for ensuring the protection of the state's whitetail deer herd and the integrity of our hunting heritage," Friedkin said.

While 2016 seemed to be a little quieter on the CWD front than 2015, there were still plenty of headlines across the U.S.

Wildlife agencies not only took steps to stop the spread of disease in many states, they also began cracking down the importation of deer, elk and moose carcasses in many areas in an effort to keep the disease from getting in at all.

NEXT: RARE WHITE BUCK TAKEN BY MUZZLELOADER HUNTER IN NORTH CAROLINA