Rare "zombie" disease that causes deer to excessively drool before killing them found in Yellowstone

A rare "zombie" disease that causes deer to excessively drool, droop their ears and become reluctant to move before eventually killing them has been detected in Yellowstone National Park for the first time, officials say. Once established, officials say there is "no effective way to eradicate" the fatal illness, called chronic wasting disease.

National Park Service officials said earlier this week the disease was found in a dead adult mule deer found near Yellowstone Lake. The deer had originally been captured in Cody, Wyoming, by the state's Game and Fish Department in March as part of a population study, and according to a GPS collar that had been placed on the animal, officials said it died around mid-October. 

"This is the first confirmed positive detection of the disease in Yellowstone National Park," a press release from the government agency said, adding they conducted "multiple diagnostics tests" to confirm its presence.