Feeding deer is harmful

"This poor young deer is sick," Brent McGregor reported in November. "We have a neighbor that feeds deer and will not listen to people when they say feeding deer does more harm than good. I don't remember seeing scenes like this 25 years ago, before the neighborhood was settled with folks that feed (deer)."

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists have pleaded again and again: "Please, stop feeding deer!" But not enough people will do as the agency asks, or even take the time to understand why.

The photo above tells two stories that go hand-in-glove with feeding deer.

First, the diarrhea. Cattle can be persistently infected (PI) with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a pestivirus in the family Flaviviridae - an important source of viral transmission to susceptible hosts. It spreads among cattle until the rancher begins medication; it also spreads among local populations of mule deer, which cannot be medicated.

When it strikes deer it won't stop until the deer spread out and slowly recover on their own. Feeding deer keeps them together, shoulder-to-shoulder, nose-to-rump, to return to the feeding station again and again, further spreading the infection.

The more residents encourage the deer to crowd together and "yard up," the more likely it will be to spread health problems and weaken the deer who may not me able to handle the rigorous conditions of winter.

Jeff Cooney and his partner, Jeannette Bonomo of High Desert Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, were asked to pick up a sick deer in Redmond. When they returned, Jeannette said, "Wow, this one looks identical to Brent's photo; it had all the fecal matter running and drying on the rear legs, just like in the photo, and a sparse, poor haircoat, too. Jeff and I picked her up, but she died in my arms on the way back."

And then there's mange.

The geographical distribution of HLS (Hair Loss Syndrome) has steadily expanded since its first appearance and now affects black-tailed deer throughout their range in western Washington and western Oregon - and now its here.

In captive settings (such as a zoo), deer have been successfully cleared of lice infestations with the use of medication. However, in free-ranging situations, there is no practical method for delivering effective doses of medication to large populations of wild deer.

What this does, is place the responsibility of spreading the lice, other parasites and disease directly on the shoulders of people who insist on feeding deer - a perfect example of "loving wildlife to death."

Those who profess to love local wildlife should do them a favor: Don't feed the deer.