Deer Feces Can Kill

Ed W. from Virginia writes to ask about deer droppings causing human diseases. I live in the suburbs of a big city and we have deer in our yard every night. Do the droppings from deer present any disease problems for my family?

The presence of deer in towns is a growing phenomenon as is the number of yards with deer droppings. The answer is yes, these droppings can be a problem. In fact, deer feces is like most feces in that they carry E. coli and this can be a serious problem. Last year there was a report of E. coli from deer contaminating strawberries in Oregon, and this led to one human death and 14 others getting very ill.

For you in town there is an even bigger problem. The presence of deer droppings in your yard tells you that deer are there in large numbers. This means that deer ticks are also there and this can lead to several major human diseases, not the least of which is Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease is a growing and spreading problem, and especially dangerous in suburban environments. The best solution is to lower deer numbers. If your town doesn't have a deer control bowhunt, they may well need one.