POPULATION EXPLOSION OF DEER MAY HAVE CONSEQUENCES FOR HUMAN HEALTH

                                                                      

Such a cutie - or is it?

TIME was when it was a rare occurrence to see a deer in North East Lincolnshire - except in an illustration on a Christmas card.

But, particularly over the past couple of years, Bambi's population has exploded.

Roe deer are being seen everywhere - on golf courses, in parks, fields, woodland, gardens and even on Cleethorpes beach.

Most people are thrilled and delighted - but not all.

A family of deer can much through precious garden shrubs and, as one Waltham plot holder will testify, polish off crops (ripening sweetcorn is a favourite) on allotments.

They also trample the habitat of low-nesting birds, and, so it is feared, may, in part, be responsible for the decline of the nightingales at Whisby, near Lincoln.

When they scamper across busy roads, especially at night, the risk of a serious collision is high.

But perhaps most serious of all is that they carry a tick, the bite of which can, in humans cause Lyme disease - a debilitating condition which is difficult to treat.

The tick can lurk in grass, waiting to hop on a bare leg that will provide it with an easy and nutritious meal.

When foxes first started appearing in local gardens, their owners were, at first, delighted, but now many of them are not so sure.

Could there soon be slippage in the currently highly favourable ratings for deer?

                                              

Losing their fear of man - this deer was seen on the corner of Cleethorpes Golf Course and the country park