Ticks and Lyme Disease

OwenM

Thru Hiker
We already have one feline in Scotland, the Wild Cat. They're on the brink of extinction mainly due to loose of habitat, breeding with feral moggies doesn't help either.
All cats that I Know of are territorial, if we introduce another feline there's a real risk of them pushing the Wild Cat out. There could well be hidden dangers in messing around with the delicate balance of nature.
 

Bmblbzzz

Thru Hiker
I wasn't entirely serious about lynx. I mean, I think it would be great if the objections from farmers could be overcome (compensation schemes?) but as OwenM says, there's always risk in introducing something new. And even more than farmers, the deer estates would protest. (Okay that is a sort of farming, but a particular sort)
 

cathyjc

Thru Hiker
I've seen too many estates actually feeding the deer through the winter (they even come to the sound of the ATVs). Fannichs area especially. They're not interested in seriously reducing deer numbers only in having plenty of deer to shoot. 😡
Most estates feed the deer to get them thru' the winter - otherwise there would be rotting deer carcasses all over the hills.
After a hard winter you will see some carcasses anyways but without feeding .......

It's not just about having "lots" of deer to shoot it's also an "investment". Part of the value of an Estate ( at sale) is calculated on the number of deer it holds (= bragging rights) Which is ridiculous as deer move and don't respect estate boundaries .....
Until that changes there is little incentive to reduce deer numbers for many owners.

You can tell when there are grossly too many deer - the vegetation is eaten down - parts of the eastern Cairngorms above Deeside are appalling in this regard.

Recently a few more landowners have "seen the light" and are changing. Anders Provlsen is a leading example.
.
 

bradmacmt

Trail Blazer
I've had countless ticks over the years. Though I've never had never Lyme's, in 1999 I contracted Colorado Tick Fever (different than Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever). It's a fairly rare, albeit nasty, tick-borne infection. Nothing could really be done, and it took about a month to get over. At times I would feel like I'd dropped LSD and was out of my body - neurotoxins!

Here's a USA.gov resource full of good tick information, some of which is relevant to the UK:


Prevention:

Lyme's:

Removing a tick:
 
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