NEWTOWN – A newly organized Fairfield County citizen’s group has come out in opposition to an initiative that will implement a plan to ‘bait-and-shoot’ large numbers of deer presently living on open space and private land in order to reduce Lyme disease. They have launched a public education campaign to encourage a wider cross section of the community to become informed and involved regarding this proposal before town officials vote.
WildlifeEducationCoalition.org is not only questioning the proposal’s cost and safety to the residents of Newtown,, but also its effectiveness and scientific soundness. According to the group’s spokesperson Adria Henderson, “We understand there are concerns raised by the number of deer in our community; however, the proposed culling of deer offers virtually no prospect of solving the Lyme disease problem.”
The Coalition bases its premise on the fact that Lyme disease is a multi-host disease carried by Ixodes scapularis ticks that feed on more than 40 bird species and all mammals. “You can’t stop a multi-host disease [from spreading] by killing some members of one host,” Ms. Henderson added.
The group points out that the studies cited by bait-and-kill advocates were conducted on sites that bear little resemblance to the developed, suburban nature of Newtown’s 60 square miles of ecologically open land. They reference a comprehensive study conducted in a suburban New Jersey community similar to Newtown that showed after three seasons of deer culling, there was no apparent reduction in sub-adult tick populations or Lyme disease incidence.
WEC.org believes that a multi-pronged approach, including localized use of acaricides, aggressive education in prevention of tick bites and changes in landscaping, forestry practices and land use ( to make an area not so attractive for deer to flourish and reproduce) are among the ways to solve the problems of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. “WildlifeEducationCoalition.org is committed to working with the community and town officials to find a science-based solution for reducing Lyme and other tick-borne diseases in Newtown,” emphasized Ms. Henderson. “Our public education campaign and website were created to encourage more people to become informed and involved in the deer discussion by education themselves on the issues, and to help generate effective, long term solutions that will offer the best outcome for all involved.”
For additional information about WildlifeEducationCoalition.org, visit their website: www.WildlifeEducationCoalition.org ; or e-mail: contdact@WildlifeEducationCoalition.org.