Veterinary infectious disease specialist Dr. Scott Weese spoke to CNN Health about a new report that found that white-tailed deer in Ontario may be acting as reservoirs for the virus that causes COVID-19, and potentially spreading new variants to humans.

“It’s actually a pretty significant study, I think, because we’re seeing potential evolution of the virus in an animal reservoir,” Weese told the outlet.

He added that deer are an ideal host for SARS-CoV-2 because they are highly susceptible to infection, don’t get very sick and they nest in groups, making it easy for the virus to spread.

Weese also recently spoke with The New York Times about identifying other species that might also be at risk of COViD-19 and transmitting it to others.

The chief of infection control at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and a professor in the Department of Pathobiology, Weese has studied the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from humans to animals throughout the pandemic.