Deer population control

[baf...@my-dejanews.com]

I would like to request more on your news bulletin regarding the Swedish
local authorities request for hunters to lower the deer population. The
reasoning you gave for this action was: to reduce traffic accidents, decrease
the spread of wood ticks and wood tick diseases, and to prevent the deer from
eating peoples gardens. I was wondering what measures have been taken to
prevent these undesired effects of deer populations living so close to urban
areas other than hunting. What responsability lies on the individual to check
him/her- self for ticks after wandering through the woods? Or if you live at
the outskirts of an urban area, how much responsibility is there to protect
one's own garden with proper fencing? Or maybe planting something a little
less attracting and appetizing? Have Swedish authorities tried using
reflective strips along the road edges to scare off or warn deer of
approaching traffic? Just curious... Adrien

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[gwo...@my-dejanews.com]

Dear Adrien,

Thanks for writing! We were so excited my your letter (after all you are
one of the first to use Talkback) that Nidia Hagstrom will be reading it
in the next edition of "In Touch With Stockholm", and hopefully we'll
have some kind of expert to comment.

That program should air on June 6.

In the meantime, here's a personal reflection on some of your questions,
since I'm just about the only English Service staffer living in a
forested suburb (most of the others live in the heart of the city). I
live on the island of Lidingo, just East of town, which is sort of the
start of the Stockholm Archipelago. Thirty thousand people live here,
but the island has a lot of green space.

We get a few deer here, but not enough to be a problem in gardens, as in
places a little more out in the countryside. Although I did almost run
one over once, while driving towards the island's shopping center (in
a rather populated area). But we definately are in the tick zone,
including the subzone for the two tick-borne diseases, the bacterial
Borelia (known as Lyme Disease in North America) and a much more serious
viral infection (who's name I've forgotten I'm afraid).

So far Spring has been quite chilly, but during warm weather we really
do have to check our kids (aged now 6 and 9) for tick bites, which are
easy to pick up playing in grass. When we find them, we have to use a
special tool (invented by the Swedes) to carefully remove the tick
(by unscrewing it) without living its head still in the skin.

The kids get a few bites a year. I had one a few years ago, and came
down with Borelia. Fortunately we found it in time, and got the right
medicine. If you let it go, the first symptoms fade, and the disease
comes back in a much more serious form later.

This doesn't answer your deer questions, but hopefully Nidia can address
them in her program.

Thanks again for writing,

George Wood
Radio Sweden

In article <7h94gh$qr1$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,

[baf...@my-dejanews.com]

Dear George, I am flattered you will use my letter on the air. I can't wait
to hear what information you can find on this subject. I also really
appreciated your personal comments regarding my posting and hope other
listeners will also add their thoughts and experiences too. Maybe if it's
not too late Nidia could address a few questions when she talks to the expert
that you find on this subject: Here on the Canadian prairies we have two
species of deer to deal with, white-tailed deer and mule deer. What types of
deer are there in Sweden? And are all types being considered for hunters to
control? Tick issue Have deer been proven as the main carriers of ticks? I
have known other animals like ground squirels or gophers to carry large
numbers of ticks. If this is true, then would other animals be considered as
well for hunting to address the tick spreading problem? Garden invading
issue Is the problem of deer eating peoples garden plants equally bad in the
winter as the summer? Here in southern Alberta, Canada the deer tend to
wander into the city in the winter but are less common in the summer. I think
this is because in the summer people are out walking around much more so they
avoid confrontations therefore avoid browsing areas in and around the city
making those areas tall and lush for them to eat when winter hits and people
aren't around as much. Traffic accidents Lots of different methods have been
tried to prevent deer/vehicle collisions. The first of which of course is the
simple posting of a sign marking deer crossing areas, but for the most part
those go unnoticed. The installation of car-sirens with frequencies that only
deer can hear, warning them of traffic approaching, was tried but to the best
of my knowledge this hasn't worked either. Our city has also tried
installing reflective strips along areas of road where dear cross. These
strips reflect car headlights off the roads to warn deer approaching of
traffic presence. Lastly in some places wildlife bridges or tunnels have been
built to give them a safe place to cross without affecting traffic. I assume
all these measures are in place in Sweden as well. I guess my interested
when considering wildlife a nuisance to human activities and health is
always.. what are we doing to avoid the nuisance as opposed to simply
eliminating or removing the nuisance species. Avoiding these situations
usually means changing the way we do certain things and possibly requires the
spending of money but the end result is better for the wildlife and we can
then enjoy their presence too. If you can address any of these questions I
would be greatful. Thanks a million. I love your programming. Adrien.