Invasive feral hogs and chronic wasting disease are already major challenges for wildlife managers, and new research suggests the two threats may overlap in a way that could make protecting deer populations even more difficult in parts of the United States.

That concern reaches beyond conservation policy. When deer herds face greater risks, hunting traditions, local economies, and communities that depend on healthy wildlife populations can all feel the effects.

Here’s what to know

In the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers reported that feral hogs can pick up chronic wasting disease prions while scavenging deer carcasses.

Summarizing the study, Outdoor Life said there are still no confirmed examples of feral hogs themselves developing the fatal neurologic illness.