Fairfield County Towns

Call For Deer Kill

STAMFORD (AP) — A coalition of several Fairfield County towns and cities is proposing a reduction in the deer population as the only sure way to reduce the number of cases of Lyme disease.

A report from the Fairfield County Municipal Deer Management Alliance concludes that tick repellents and protective clothing haven’t done much to reduce the number of cases of the disease.

Figures from the state Department of Public Health show Connecticut has had the highest rate of Lyme disease in the country since 1992, with the highest number of cases reported in Fairfield County. In 2005, the county reported 426 new cases compared with 96 in Hartford County.

Georgina Scholl, author of the report, said deer reduction is a key way to stop ticks, the source of the bacterial infection. Lyme disease, an infection that affects the nervous system, is passed to humans from ticks.

“The real problem is we have too many deer,” Scholl said. “By reducing deer per square mile, we can eradicate Lyme disease and save native wetlands.”

Since 2004, the alliance has been campaigning for towns and cities to develop deer management plans it says will reduce threats caused by deer, including automobile accidents, wildlife destruction and bird endangerment.

Fairfield County has the highest deer densities, with an estimated 60 deer per square mile — double the population of the rest of the state, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Scholl said studies recommend about ten deer per square mile to decrease risk of Lyme disease.

Wildlife biologist Howard Kilpatrick of the DEP agreed, but said effective deer density is a difficult number to pin down.

Deer management in urban areas is difficult, but not impossible, Kilpatrick said.

Residents who own a lot of land can allow hunting during deer season, and bow-hunting permits have no restrictions, he said. Deer fertility treatments and deer fencing are not as successful in reducing disease, Kilpatrick said.

“Hunting is the only practical way to reduce deer populations on a large scale,” Kilpatrick said.