Visitors exacerbate Lochinver’s deer invasion problems by “feeding the animals and treating them like pets”
Ben Madilynn
A long-running problem of deer invading a north-west Sutherland Sutherland village is being exacerbated by tourists, it is claimed.
Visitors to Lochinver are said to be making the problem worse by feeding the animals and treating them like pets.
Half a dozen red deer were recently photographed surrounding cars in the Assynt village, a popular stop on the NC500 tourist route.
North, west and central Sutherland councillor Hugh Morrison said: “”This has been a long-standing problem, which is in a large part caused by tourists feeding the animals.
“It is easy pickings for the deer and encourages them into the village centre, but after the tourists have gone it is the local people who are left to deal with the damage.
“I would appeal to visitors to think more about the consequences of their actions for the people who live there. You can’t treat deer like pets – they are wild animals.
Cllr Morrison’s comments were echoed by Simon Jeffreys of the Assynt Foundation,
“People feed the deer and that brings them in to the village. It is hard to stop them but the problem has been greatly reduced by a culling programme that is ongoing,” he said.
Assynt Community Council previously demanded urgent action with cars damaged and gardens trashed in the past, and reports of the animals becoming increasingly aggressive
Attempts to keep deer out with special fencing has not been a total success and proved a costly exercise. Many locals say they’ve been chased by deer and there is growing concern about the risk of Lyme disease from ticks carried by the animals.
The West Sutherland Deer Management Group previously offered its expertise to find a solution, but then went on to claim: “Lochinver needs as many attractions as it can get … and deer are a significant tourist attraction.”
