A viral photo of a deer with a nasty condition is leaving Coloradans worried, according to FOX 31.
Multiple residents throughout the state contacted Colorado Parks and Wildlife about the afflicted animal, which appears to have huge, strange-looking growths on its face and body. The agency soon addressed the sickly deer in a Wednesday (April 13) Facebook post.
"We won't be taking any beauty tips from this deer," CPW wrote. "The warty growths are cutaneous fibromas caused by a virus. They are pretty unsightly, but not serious. The deer is walking around fine, eating fresh green-up and acting like a deer. We are letting the deer be for now and will continue to monitor it."
A fact sheet from the agency says these warts aren't a concern to public health and only affect deer. The growths can last weeks and even months, and CPW didn't say how long the deer may have been living with the disease, either.
The good news is the fibromas will eventually recede and heal without treatment, according to the agency.
"When we come across these cases, we check on the animals' mobility & ability to eat & drink," CPW wrote. "Once the growths are healed, the deer has lifelong resistant to future infections by this virus."