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A deer feeds from the grass on OU’s campus.

Interacting with deer on campus can be dangerous for them, humans

The Ohio University community benefits from campus wildlife, but it is best to observe from a distance to avoid injury or inadvertently harming the animals, experts said.

An article recently published on OU’s news website warned that deer may be more active at this time because of their breeding season during October and November. 

OU has previously reminded the university community about keeping a safe distance from deer and other wildlife. The university’s most recent statement was prompted by reports from a student and a staff member about the aggressive posture of deer. 

The wildlife on campus is not cared for by university staff in any way, Chad Keller, environmental health coordinator, said. They are left alone to care for themselves as they would be anywhere else. 

Keller urges students to avoid taking pictures with the deer because they are very unpredictable. Attempting to feed them is also potentially dangerous.

“Feeding any wildlife items that are not part of their normal diet can have negative effects,” Keller said in an email. “This can also lead to food-seeking behaviors from the animals toward individuals not attempting to feed them, and they can become aggressive.”

The deer on campus appear to be comfortable around people, but it is only because they are not hunted here. 

“Like many other animals, (deer) get habituated pretty quickly,” Viorel Popescu, an associate professor of conservation biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, said. “This is probably a learned behavior, so if … the (baby deer) are born in town or on campus or somewhere here and they hang out here, then they learn not to fear people as well. It's kind of a … behavior transmitted through generations.”

OU is able to support its wildlife by providing habitable areas on campus for animals like deer and squirrels to live. An abundant habitat also encourages wildlife to stay near campus. 

There are a number of naturalized areas on campus that are left unmown to protect wildlife, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the beauty of OU’s campus, according to the Office of Sustainability

The implementation of naturalized areas not only nurtures the wildlife but also cuts back on the workload of the OU Grounds Department. After losing some positions in 2020, the Grounds Department has been looking for ways to decrease its labor demands. 

The naturalized areas not only provide environmental benefits for pollinators, insects, birds and other wildlife, but they also cut back on labor demands, Susan Calhoun, a grounds manager and landscape coordinator at OU, said. The Grounds Department mows the naturalized areas only once a year, which saves time and equipment fuel and decreases emissions. 

Deer also appreciate these unmown areas and bed in them over the fall and winter months when they are overgrown. 

“The slopes along East Green have a lot of hangout spots (for the deer),” Calhoun said. “They come out and feed. But to hang out, I know they are using the naturalized areas.”

In August, wild white-tail deer in Ohio tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in a study done by The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Currently, it is believed that there is a low chance of deer spreading COVID-19 to humans, but it is advised that humans with COVID-19 avoid interactions with animals to prevent transmission of infection. 

“It's definitely in the best interest of our community to have these animals around. Just don’t be very friendly with them,” Popescu said. “Admire them from a distance, and just don't interact with them, don’t try to feed them, don’t try to take selfies, don’t try to do any other things.”

@AddieHedges

ah766719@ohio.edu

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