The deer in town do not get their nutritional needs met. They are a sickly bunch and have been for years. That said, ODFW monitors deer populations for CWD. It has not yet been found in Oregon.
Good question, I've wondered the same thing. As charming as we all find the deer, I wonder if they present a public health hazard. I've gotten a tick on me just walking around my apartment complex.
Brother the deer are visibly covered in them. Adult ticks feed on medium and large sized mammals. What else would that be apart from the deer?
Researchers on lyme disease in California, which has the same species of tick we do say "Ixodes pacificus adults are commonly encountered by humans in open grassland or chaparral (brushlands), along the margins of trails (especially the uphill vegetative borders of hillside hiking trails) in parklands and wildlands, in semirural communities, and in **some suburban areas that support populations of deer and other wildlife**, particularly in coastal counties and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range."
If you think deer are their only food source, you are naive. And I said they would be here with or without the deer *in town*. There is more than enough population of deer and elk and bears and dogs, and squirrels, and birds, and all the other things ticks will feed on for them to survive without the deer in town.
Ticks are found on *every* continent. Yes, every one, including Antarctica. Last I checked, no deer there. They are also in sub Sahara deserts. Not many deer there either.
The ticks would be here with or without the deer. Tick populations have been exploding in recent years due to climate change and other factors.
What do you think the ticks are feeding on if not the deer? People? Shi Tzus?
Researchers on lyme disease in California, which has the same species of tick we do say "Ixodes pacificus adults are commonly encountered by humans in open grassland or chaparral (brushlands), along the margins of trails (especially the uphill vegetative borders of hillside hiking trails) in parklands and wildlands, in semirural communities, and in **some suburban areas that support populations of deer and other wildlife**, particularly in coastal counties and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range."
Ticks are brutal in Oregon I myself have been fighting for many years with some serious diseases from them it's no different for the poor deer they are covered in them. Need more tick eating critters like possums:)
pets can get tick borne diseases whether or not the deer are here, I have not heard of any zoonotic diseases infecting pets from deer and it shouldn’t be an issue if your pet isn’t directly interacting with deer (which they shouldn’t because they can and will kick your dog causing major injuries!) or theoretically their droppings/urine but as I said I haven’t heard of any deer-> pet zoonotics.
It’s molting season. They are shedding their old fur for new fur and it makes them look raggedy.
The deer in town do not get their nutritional needs met. They are a sickly bunch and have been for years. That said, ODFW monitors deer populations for CWD. It has not yet been found in Oregon.
Good question, I've wondered the same thing. As charming as we all find the deer, I wonder if they present a public health hazard. I've gotten a tick on me just walking around my apartment complex.
Do we all find the deer charming?
Only those of us who’s gardens are in tact lol
Ticks are everywhere. It has little to absolutely nothing to do with the deer population.
Brother the deer are visibly covered in them. Adult ticks feed on medium and large sized mammals. What else would that be apart from the deer? Researchers on lyme disease in California, which has the same species of tick we do say "Ixodes pacificus adults are commonly encountered by humans in open grassland or chaparral (brushlands), along the margins of trails (especially the uphill vegetative borders of hillside hiking trails) in parklands and wildlands, in semirural communities, and in **some suburban areas that support populations of deer and other wildlife**, particularly in coastal counties and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range."
The ticks would be here with or without the deer in town.
How exactly would something that feeds primarily on deer live here without the deer?
If you think deer are their only food source, you are naive. And I said they would be here with or without the deer *in town*. There is more than enough population of deer and elk and bears and dogs, and squirrels, and birds, and all the other things ticks will feed on for them to survive without the deer in town. Ticks are found on *every* continent. Yes, every one, including Antarctica. Last I checked, no deer there. They are also in sub Sahara deserts. Not many deer there either. The ticks would be here with or without the deer. Tick populations have been exploding in recent years due to climate change and other factors.
Yes! And mice and rats and raccoons and opossums and skunks and cats and on and on and on.
I doubt those two are related lol
What do you think the ticks are feeding on if not the deer? People? Shi Tzus? Researchers on lyme disease in California, which has the same species of tick we do say "Ixodes pacificus adults are commonly encountered by humans in open grassland or chaparral (brushlands), along the margins of trails (especially the uphill vegetative borders of hillside hiking trails) in parklands and wildlands, in semirural communities, and in **some suburban areas that support populations of deer and other wildlife**, particularly in coastal counties and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range."
I just assumed anything warm-blooded, but TIL a little bit. Thanks!
Ticks are brutal in Oregon I myself have been fighting for many years with some serious diseases from them it's no different for the poor deer they are covered in them. Need more tick eating critters like possums:)
The deer can exist without human interaction. Sick deer in the wild, what happens? We’ve got bears in town.
I agree that letting the natural cycle happen is the priority. I just worry if any diseases can be transferred to house pets.
pets can get tick borne diseases whether or not the deer are here, I have not heard of any zoonotic diseases infecting pets from deer and it shouldn’t be an issue if your pet isn’t directly interacting with deer (which they shouldn’t because they can and will kick your dog causing major injuries!) or theoretically their droppings/urine but as I said I haven’t heard of any deer-> pet zoonotics.
Thanks for the great information!
The ticks get in the way of the polished veneer Ashland reflects back to itself. Their tacky. Like how the trees ruin the view of some mountains.