Why are fawns in southeastern Utah dying at such high rates?

In southeastern Utah, mule deer fawns are dying at unusually high rates, and researchers are trying to understand why. A collaborative study in the La Sal and San Juan mountains has found signs that Chronic Wasting Disease may be affecting deer much earlier in life than previously thought, possibly even before birth. As infection rates climb in the Moab area, scientists say the disease could be playing a growing role in the region’s struggling deer populations.