🦌 Chronic wasting disease — a fatal illness affecting deer, elk, and moose — has spread across much of North America. Oregon is one of the last western states without a confirmed case. Now, new research suggests Oregon’s elk may have a bit of genetic good fortune. Scientists found that nearly half of Oregon’s Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain elk carry a genetic variant linked to resistance to the disease — higher than rates seen in other states. It won’t stop CWD once it arrives, but it could slow