An outbreak of CWD that begins in Jackson Hole is not going to stay confined to Jackson Hole, epidemiologists say. Indeed, as illustrated in this map from the Wyoming Migration Initiative, elk from Jackson Hole stream into Yellowstone during summer where they come in contact with other herds that disperse widely across the three-state region. Infected elk, whether asymptomatic with CWD or not, will live for a few years after they contract the disease and shed prions through their saliva, feces, urine as they migrate.