So the wild populations are the "perpetrators"? It would seem to me that captive deer are at far greater risk to the dieases than wild ones. Sort of like how schools and offices (places where people are in close quarters) seem to have "outbreaks" of the flu, cold's, stomach bugs, etc. Those "outbreaks" can then be passed on when those people leave and go home. So in places where these cervid diseases aren't present in the wild, or are at very low levels, i would think a captive herd in that area could serve as a threat to the wild herds. I have always thought this whole captive/wild debate sounded like the chicken and egg debate. I think the important take away is that the wild herd deserves to be protected, not called out as the "perpetrator"! Those wild deer are a resource for us all, not just those that can afford a high fence hunt. I also think the wild herd is just as much if not more of an economic engine than the captive ones, so their value is both real (actual dollars) and perceived (a publicly available resource for with emotional, psychological, traditional value).
I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I know much about the diseases, the population dynamics, biology, physiology, and ecology of relationships between them and wild or captive herds. I just really think that Ted is WAY off and it has more to do with his EGO than any injustice being done by P&Y against the captive cervid indsutry. I'm sure it eats at his ego that many of his "precious" trophies won't be recognized by P&Y because they weren't fair chase as far as P&Y defines it. The outright devaluation of wild animals as exclaimed by Ted in his ramblings is downright appauling. But hey, he has a right to say what he wants when he wants, as he is fond of saying...."you can't do this in France".