Killing deer is NOT the solution

To be fair I felt the non-hunting side should be able to voice their opinion and idea’s for getting rid of Lyme Disease in Connecticut.

The Connecticut Coalition to Eradicate Lyme Disease is incorrect when it suggests that killing deer will “eliminate” Lyme disease [Connecticut Post, March 2 Commentary section]. This idea is based on simplistic studies that were done in the early 1990s by Andrew Spielman, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. His research focused on the relationship between deer, the white-footed mouse and the Lyme disease bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Since that time, significant discoveries have been made by peer-reviewed researchers that demonstrate the extreme complexities of the Lyme disease vectors. This expanded understanding of the scientific factors affecting the spread of Lyme disease shows that deer are not responsible.

Land developers have decimated the woodlands, resulting in limited biodiversity, which has contributed to the growth of Lyme disease. Scientists have demonstrated that forest fragmentation caused by development reduces vertebrate biodiversity, and as a result, the human risk of exposure to Lyme disease-infected ticks is increased.

Climate change has amplified the incidence of vector-borne diseases including Lyme disease. The World Health Organization has concluded that climate change since the mid-1970s has had a significant impact on the health of human populations throughout the planet. It is noteworthy that Lyme disease was first diagnosed in Connecticut during that time period.

Multiple hosts carry the Lyme disease pathogen. The most effective way to reduce the density of infected ticks and Lyme disease risk is to target the significant hosts — mice, chipmunks and shrews — with proven tickicides. Scientists at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies concluded: “A mitigation strategy that targets [the ticks on] mice, chipmunks and shrews reduce[s] the proportion of nymphs carrying B. burgdorferi by 90 percent.” B. burgdorferi infects more than a dozen vertebrate species, any of which could be responsible for increasing the incidence of Lyme disease.

Deer are not infected by B. burgdorferi. They are known as reservoir incompetent because their bloodstream cannot harbor the bacterium. The Lyme disease coalition should be aware that scientists have concluded deer are nowhere in sight as a culprit responsible for Lyme disease.

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Wildlife Division erroneously concurs with the coalition that reducing the deer population to eight per square mile in Connecticut would eliminate Lyme disease. The DEP bases this conclusion on the outdated work of Spielman. In fact, as stated above, recent scientific studies have shown that reducing the number of deer will increase the risk of human exposure to Lyme disease due to questing ticks searching for a new host.

My analysis of deer density data from the DEP and the incidence rate of Lyme disease from the Connecticut Department of Public Health epidemiologists shows the following facts:

l The DEP reported the 2006 deer density in Windham County to be 28.7 deer per square mile and in Fairfield County to be 29.4 deer per square mile.

l The Department of Public Health reported the 2006 incidence rate of Lyme disease in Windham County to be 135 per 100,000 population, which is more than three times greater than the 40 per 100,000 population in Fairfield County.

Both counties have about the same deer density, yet the incidence rates of Lyme disease are grossly different. Contrary to conclusions of the DEP and Lyme disease coalition, the issue of more deer equaling more Lyme disease is false.

Clearly, the deer/Lyme disease relationship is extremely complex and cannot be conveniently solved with archaic and simplistic approaches like killing deer.

Intelligent citizens of Connecticut need to reject the outdated scientific proclamations of the coalition and the DEP.

Everyone in Connecticut should be advocating enlightened, real scientific solutions for safe and healthy coexistence with deer. Promoting the practice of killing deer just doesn’t work.

Mike Gorfinkle lives in Redding and is an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart and Fairfield universities. He is a co-founder of Connecticut No Arrows or Bullets, a group of Connecticut citizens who advocate for co-existence with wildlife through educating the public about nonlethal methods of wildlife management. See www.ct-nab.info.

By: Mike Gorfinkle & The Connecticut Post