Nine deer dead in Japan after eating plastic: wildlife group

JULY 10, 2019

Nine deer have died after swallowing plastic bags in Japan's Nara Park, a wildlife group said on Wednesday, warning that a surge in tourism may be to blame.

The Nara Deer Preservation Foundation said that masses of plastic bags and snack packets were found in the stomachs of the deer which died between March and June this year.

"The biggest litter found in one of the nine amounted to 4.3 kilograms (9.5 pounds)," foundation official Yoshitaka Ashimura told AFP.

"We were surprised. It was so big," he said.

The picturesque park in Japan's ancient capital is home to more than 1,000 deer, which can even be found roaming the streets in search of special tasty crackers offered by tourists.

Tourists are forbidden from feeding the deer any food besides the crackers but Ashimura said some visitors offer the animals other types of snacks.

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Stags in the city: how deer found their way into our town centres and back gardens

As the UK’s deer population explodes, more of the animals are heading into urban areas. Why – and will they be welcome there?

Lucy Jones

Wed 20 Mar 2019 12.00 GMT

If you head out to the shops today, or a churchyard, or a school, or a playground, and you live in a town or city, you might be in for a surprise. Cats, dogs, squirrels, even foxes are part and parcel of our urban landscapes now but increasingly, it’s not out of the question that you might just as easily meet a deer.

The deer population in the UK is at the highest it has been for at least 1,000 years, at around two million. Over the past few decades, does and stags have been spotted in urban areas and villages around the UK, from Glasgow, to Sheffield and London. This week, the Royal Horticultural Society released guidance on how gardeners can deer-proof their outdoor spaces. Replace tulips with daffodils and red hot pokers, it suggests, because deer don’t like the taste and it will stop them rummaging through your flowerbeds.

So how did deer come to wander into our back gardens? For a start, population growth. Accurate data on exact deer numbers is scarce because the animals are secretive with a significant range. However, there is evidence that numbers of red, roe and muntjac deer are increasing. In Scotland, the deer population has doubled in the past 50 years. There are many reasons for this: since wolves, lynx and bears became extinct hundreds of years ago, deer have had no predators to contend with. They, along with other wildlife, have also benefited from other factors including milder winters, increased woodland cover in some areas and changes in farming such as the planting of winter crops.

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Deer fawns more likely to survive in agricultural landscapes than forest

Date: May 1, 2018

Source: Penn State

The cruel truth is that throughout the white-tailed deer's range only about half of all fawns live to see their first birthday -- most are killed by predators. However, they have a much better chance of surviving if they are born in farmland rather than in forest, according to Penn State researchers, who collaborated with Pennsylvania Game Commission deer biologists.

They estimated fawn survival in four different study areas in Pennsylvania. In addition, they combined fawn-survival estimates from published data from 29 deer populations in 16 states throughout North America to look at landscape patterns in fawn survival.

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How do deer survive harsh winter weather?

January 31, 2018 by Chris Whittier, Tufts University

White-tailed deer, the kind found in Massachusetts and across most of the United States, are the widest-ranging ungulate in the Americas, from as far south as Bolivia to as far north as southern Canada. To cover such diverse territory and climates, white-tailed deer have a variety of adaptations and behaviors, including those that allow them to survive harsh winter weather that is common in New England.

Like many other mammals, deer physically prepare for the winter by better insulating their bodies. In the fall, deer gradually trade their summer hair coat for a winter one, which consists of thicker, longer, and darker hairs called guard hairs, while also growing in a much thicker undercoat.

This winter coat absorbs more sunlight and traps more body heat than the summer coat, and provides an extraordinary amount of protection from the cold. Deer also have oil-producing glands in their skin that help make their hair water repellent, which is especially valuable in the snow. For further insulation, their bodies also begin to retain more fat in layers during the fall.

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Deer study shows bigger brains in females lead to longer lives and more offspring

December 14, 2016 by Bob Yirka report

 

(Phys.org)—A team of researchers working on the Scottish Isle of Rum has found evidence of larger brains in female red deer conferring longer lifespans and more offspring raised to adulthood. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the researchers describe their study and what they found.

A lot of research has been done comparing brain size between species, but there are few comparisons of brain size between individuals of the same species or group. In this new effort, the researchers sought to learn more about what it means for a mammal to have a larger brain than others in its group. They focused on red deer living on the Isle of Rum because other researchers have been tracking them for approximately 40 years—a time span that has covered seven generations. The researchers were able to measure brain size by measuring the skulls of 1,314 deer that had died.

Surprisingly, the team found a 63 percent variation among the deer on the island. They also found that females with larger brains tended to live longer and produced more offspring that for unknown reasons managed to live to become adults themselves. Females also passed on the trait to their offspring. Perhaps even more surprising was that the team found no discernible differences between males with brains of different sizes. The team also reports that they were unable to find any downside to larger brains in deer of either gender. Theories have suggested large-brained individuals might have weaker immune systems or fewer offspring due to the higher energy demands of larger brains—but that did not seem to be the case with the deer.

The researchers suggest physical strength and agility might be the overriding factor leading to male success as a possible explanation for why larger brain size did not confer positive attributes. Larger brains in the females, on the other hand, might have made them smarter in the sense that they were better able to find new food sources when old ones dried up or when dealing with other stressful situations. On the other hand, they note, it might be the case that it was simply coincidence—the researchers cannot say for sure.

The study was the first of its kind, which suggests that other studies need to be done with other species to learn more about why some individuals have larger brains and what it means for them.

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Lyme disease: You can't blame the deer

Date: July 21, 2016

Source: University of Oslo, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

The last decades the disease Lyme borreliosis that is spread by ticks has been increasing, but this increase cannot be explained by the increasing deer population only.

Results from the research project TickDeer, recently published in Nature Communications, shows that the percentage of ticks with Borrelia is decreasing in areas with a high deer population (deer, red deer and moose). However, the total number of ticks is higher.

This means that the risk of catching Borrelia is not decreasing as much as one could hope for despite the "clean host," and all in all a high density of deer give a netto increase in borreliosis.

Since 1991 Norway has registered all incidents with borreliosis in a so-called MSIS-statistics for reportable diseases.

At the same time data on the wild deer population over all of Norway has been recorded. This is why Norway has a unique set of data material for comparing the relation between the disease progression over time, says professor Atle Mysterud, who led the project.

In addition the researchers at the TickDeer-project, which represent a cooperation between the Department of Biosciences (University of Oslo), Norwegian Veterinary Institute, and NIBIO, looked at how the number of deer affects the number of ticks, and in particular ticks with Borrelia. The results show that borreliosis has increased more than the density of deer would suggest.

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Cougars could save lives by lowering vehicle collisions with deer

Date: July 14, 2016

Source: University of Washington

You would never guess it from their soft eyes and timid demeanor, but the swift-footed deer is North America's most dangerous mammal to humans.

Each year deer cause 1.2 million vehicle collisions in the U.S., triggering more than 200 deaths, some 29,000 injuries and $1.66 billion in costs associated with vehicle damage, medical bills and road cleanup.

These staggering figures are in part because deer's natural predators -- large carnivores such as wolves and cougars -- have declined in population, leaving large ungulates like deer to reproduce mostly unchecked.

A team including University of Washington's Laura Prugh has for the first time begun to quantify the economic and social impact of bringing back large carnivores. Using cougars and their value in reducing deer-vehicle collisions as a case study, the researchers found that within 30 years of cougars recolonizing the Eastern U.S., large cats could thin deer populations and reduce vehicle collisions by 22 percent -- each year preventing five human fatalities, 680 injuries and avoiding costs of $50 million.

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Deer make collision-free escapes thanks to inbuilt 'compasses'

Researchers study how animals living in groups coordinate their escape plans

Date: June 7, 2016

Source: Springer

Why do deer in a group, when startled, suddenly bolt away together and never collide with each other? It's because these deer have an inner compass that allows them to follow a certain direction in order to make their escape. Their getaway is almost always along a north-south axis, thanks to their ability to sense the magnetic field, says Petr Obleser of the Czech University of Life Sciences in the Czech Republic. He and Hynek Burda of the University Duisburg-Essen, Germany, are lead authors of a study in Springer's journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.

Flight distance and flight trajectories relative to danger have been studied in different types of animal species. Little is known, however, about how animals living in groups synchronize their escape direction when frightened, in order to avoid collision and keep the group together. This study is the first on the escape behavior in animals to consider the role of the magnetic compass directions.

Obleser's team turned to roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), a species of deer commonly found grazing in flat open agricultural land in Europe. The researchers conducted field studies in 60 separate areas in three hunting locations in the Czech Republic. This was done at different times of the day, for 46 days between April and August 2014. The animals were monitored by experienced wildlife biologists and rangers. They noted the direction in which the deer's bodies were aligned while the animals were still undisturbed grazing or standing. Once the animals were startled, the observers noted the direction in which they escaped, and how this route correlated with the direction from the threat and to their next place of shelter.

It was found that roe deer tend to align their bodies along the north-south axis when grazing. When startled, the animals generally fled away from observers. They did not merely make their getaway in the direction directly opposite to the approaching threat, but consistently did so north- or southwards. In fact, they seemed to actively avoid escaping westwards and eastwards, says Obleser. Wind direction or the position of the sun had no influence on the direction of their escape route.

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Taste test? Deer preferences seem to be helping non-native invasive plants spread

Date: April 28, 2016

Source: Penn State

Selective browsing by white-tailed deer likely is promoting the spread of some invasive plant species in northeastern U.S. forests, as deer avoid eating vegetation they find unpalatable.

That's the conclusion of researchers who conducted a study of deer dietary choices at the Penn State Deer Research Center, during which captive deer were simultaneously offered a selection of eight nonnative invasive and seven native plants to determine the animals' preferences.

The research is important because it quantifies interactions between deer and invasive plants -- and how, over time, deer might be exacerbating problems with nonnative plant species, according to researcher David Mortensen, professor of weed ecology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. He expects the findings to contribute to the conservation of forest understories and natural areas.

"This study provides evidence that deer impacts on plant invaders depend on plant species' palatability," he said. "Consequently, deer selectivity likely plays an important role in the invasion process. To the extent that herbivory impacts plant communities, these results suggest that deer promote the spread of some plant invaders by avoiding them."

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Ancient humans introduced deer to Scotland, study finds

APRIL 7, 2016

by Brett Smith

A new study has found the red deer currently living in a remote part of Scotland were actually brought there by Stone Age settlers.

Published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal, the new study is based on a DNA analysis that found deer living on islands north of the Scottish mainland did not come from Scotland, Ireland or Norway.

"Our results imply that Neolithic humans were transporting deer considerable distances, by sea, from an unknown source" around 5,000 years ago, study author David Stanton of Cardiff University told the AFP.

"These results are surprising... The evidence suggests that we have misunderstood our relationship with this species," he added. "Perhaps humans managed deer, having long-term relationships with herds that allowed them to plan, capture and transport deer on longer voyages."

Ancient humans moving animals

Researchers have known late Stone Age humans had moved cattle, sheep, and pigs by boat, but not larger wild animals, and not over such great distances.

Stanton said red deer were key to life in Britain from the end of the last Ice Age approximately 11,000 years ago to the appearance of the first Stone Age farmers. The animals supplied food, skins, sinew, bones and antlers, which had many uses like soil tilling.

Researchers have posited that all animals, including deer, discovered on the islands today must have been introduced by seafaring people.

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Idaho hunter accused of poaching famous deer reaches plea deal

State recommends 90-day jail sentence, fine and lifetime hunting license suspension for Jacob Pool: ‘I hate myself for it because I respect animals’

Associated Press

Tuesday 3 November 2015 23.47 GMTLast modified on Tuesday 3 November 201523.48 GMT

A hunter accused of poaching a well-known and well-liked buck in Twin Falls last winter has reached a plea deal with prosecutors.

Jacob Pool, 34, pleaded guilty last week to a felony count of killing or wasting a trophy mule deer during a closed season and a reduced misdemeanor count of destructing or concealing evidence, the Times-News reported.

As part of the plea agreement, the state has recommended a 90-day jail sentence for the misdemeanor charge, probation for the felony charge, a roughly $3,100 fine and a lifetime suspension of his hunting license.

“This is just one example of what goes on with some regularity,” Idaho department of fish and game regional conservation officer Josh Royse said. “These animals are owned by the state of Idaho. Any animal that is illegally harvested is stolen from a lawful hunter. We work to investigate and prevent these things when we can, but we need the help of the public.”

The case has helped raise awareness of illegal hunting, Royse added.

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Stop crowding around rutting deer, photographers are warned

Park wardens say deer populations could compromised as mating encounters are cut short by over-enthusiastic amateur snappers

By Victoria Ward

8:20AM GMT 05 Nov 2015

The annual, testosterone-fuelled display put on by competing deer during the rutting season is certainly something to behold.

But park wardens have warned that the crowds of amateur photographs jostling to capture the perfect image of stags locking antlers with male rivals before mating could put the population at risk.

Adam Curtis, the park's assistant manager, warned that the number of red and fallow deer in the park could be compromised if people do not keep their distance.

"I have seen 60 photographers circling a stag trying to mate," he told The Times.

"That would even put me off."

He expressed concern that stags may become too exhausted to mate because visitors cause the females to scatter, meaning that they are forced to expend more energy trying to entice them back.

"They end up not being able to mate during the day, and have to do it at night instead," Mr Curtis added.

"We are not seeing a reduction of birth numbers yet, but it is especially stressful for stags losing their harem when crowds scatter them, and being forced to run around to get them all back into the fold."

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Deer hit by car walks into New York hospital emergency room

Injured animal enters Strong Memorial hospital in Rochester

Officials capture deer and euthanize it

Mahita Gajanan in New York and agencies

Tuesday 27 October 2015 17.26 

A deer apparently hit by a car brought itself to a New York hospital and walked into the emergency room.

Hospital officials say the deer walked through the automatic doors at the entrance to Strong Memorial hospital’s emergency room late on Monday afternoon in Rochester. Officials say the deer made it about 20ft down a corridor before staff members corralled it.

The deer was struck by a vehicle before it entered the hospital, said Lori Barrette, a hospital spokesperson. It arrived with at least one broken leg.

“This was a first-time incident,” Barrette wrote in an email to the Guardian.

The Monroe County sheriff’s office said two deputies happened to be at the hospital when the deer wandered in. They and hospital public safety officers strapped the deer to a gurney and wheeled it out to the parking lot.

Deer are often injured by cars, said John Helfer, a spokesperson for Monroe County sheriff’s office.

“In the area we cover 800-900 accidents a year,” he said. “Deer being injured by vehicles and then subsequently put down after they’re injured is quite common.”

Helfer could not speak to the extent of the deer’s injuries.

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Deer culled by RSPB 'suffered slow deaths'

Birds charity embroiled in row over switch from traditional lead to copper bullets

By Emily Gosden

12:01AM BST 08 Aug 2015

A former RSPB marksman has accused the charity of putting ramblers in danger and causing suffering to deer after switching to new 'environmentally-friendly' bullets.

Colonel Johnny O’Brien, a former armoured regiment commander who was hired by the RSPB as a deer stalker, said the animals suffered slow deaths after the charity instructed him to use copper bullets instead of traditional lead ones.

The charity made the switch in 2010 amid concerns that the traditional bullets fragmented within carcasses and could result in toxic lead entering the human food chain as venison, or poisoning birds.

But Mr O’Brien, who had been culling deer at the RSPB’s Arne reserve in Dorset since 2005, said the copper bullets he used instead failed to kill the deer quickly.

Whereas the lead bullets killed deer within four seconds, and often instantly, Mr O'Brien said that 26 out of 39 deer culled with the copper ammunition during the 2010-11 season survived for at least 10 seconds after being shot, with some running for 40 seconds or more before collapsing.

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Deer DNA used for first time in UK to prosecute poacher

4 February 2015 Last updated at 12:24

James Kennedy claimed he had shot a red deer hind lawfully at another location

DNA from a red deer has been used for the first time in the UK to help prosecute a poacher.

James Kennedy, 70, illegally shot and killed and then removed a deer from the Glenfinnan Estate in Lochaber.

He claimed to having shot it lawfully at another location, but scientists matched a blood stain in his van to remains he had left on the estate.

Kennedy was fined £100 and ordered to pay compensation of £70 at Fort William Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

He had earlier pled guilty to killing the deer, gralloching it - removing its internal organs, head and lower legs - and taking the carcass away.

The incident happened near Glenfinnan on 2 February last year.

SASA scientists examined deer hair and also a blood stain found in Kennedy's van

Police, who had been alerted to a suspected poacher by members of West Lochaber Deer Management Group, stopped Kennedy's van and asked him about the deer carcass in the back of the vehicle.

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Deer Fights Back Against Hunter Who Shot Her

The Huffington Post | By Hilary Hanson

Posted: 01/05/2015 3:38 pm EST Updated: 01/06/2015 5:59 pm EST

A Wisconsin bow hunter had the tables turned on him when a deer he shot with an arrow fought back and sent him to the hospital.

The 72-year-old shot the deer in the leg, wounding her, near Taycheedah on Friday.

When he attempted to track the doe, she “leaped out and went after him” while he was amidst “some thick brush” Fond du Lac Sheriff's Officer Jeff Bonack told the Fond du Lac Reporter. The feisty deer then head-butted his leg and fled the scene.

The hunter was taken to a hospital, but his condition has not been released.

This is only the latest incident of deer revolting against their human oppressors. In the past two months, deer have busted into homes in New York and New Jersey, in one case wreaking havoc in a bathroom. And in 2013, a buck jumped through the window of a minivan and out the other, shattering glass over a terrified family.

And of course, let us not forget this video.

Source ..

Reducing deer populations may reduce risk of Lyme disease

Date:

July 1, 2014

Source:

Entomological Society of America

Summary:

Reduced deer populations can lead to a reduction in Lyme disease cases, researchers in Connecticut have found that after a 13-year study was conducted. White-tailed deer serve as the primary host for the adult blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) -- the vector for Lyme disease. The study found that the number of resident-reported cases of Lyme disease per 100 households was strongly correlated to deer density in the community.

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Too Many Deer? Try Birth Control (Op-Ed)

Karen Lange | June 07, 2014 02:14am ET

Karen Lange is senior writer forAll Animals, the membership magazine of The Humane Society of the United States. This article was adapted from one that appeared in All Animals. Lange contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. 

Meet Enid Feinberg, deer lover and protector, an activist who scans the woods around her house with surveillance cameras, looking for hunters.

And meet Anthony DeNicola, deer culler and sharpshooter, a wildlife biologist who runs a business that until recently focused on killing deer.

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