By Tim Binnall
A village in Scotland has been overrun by a herd of deer that have grown increasingly aggressive and residents of the community are divided over what to do about the strange invasion. According to a local media report, the curious case began around four years ago when a solitary stag wandered into the town of Kinlochleven and decided to call the place home. Over time, more and more of the woodland animals joined it until they formed a rangale of around 20 deer that now freely roam the streets of the village. However, what was initially a wondrous experience for residents of the community has turned into a worrisome problem as the creatures have become a little too comfortable around their human neighbors.
An official entrusted with overseeing the public land where the herd primarily resides explained that "life has been made too easy for the deer due to them being fed by locals so they have stayed during the summer now which is very unusual." Making matters worse, he said, is that the creatures "are losing their fear of both people and domestic animals and in some cases they are actually starting to intimidate and in one case attack people and pets." To that end, the situation surrounding the deer has recently become a pressing issue in the community following an incident last week wherein one of the animals actually bit a resident's dog.
The deer's surprising act of aggression led to others in the community coming forward with their own accounts of running afoul of the animals with one resident claiming that she has been targeted by the creatures on multiple occasions. "I’ve been out walking the dogs, myself and my partner, and we've been chased by the deer, just when we were walking in the street," said Morgan Malcolm, "I also had an incident with a stag where it chased me and my dog, which was terrifying." As such, she has joined a growing group of residents who are calling for local officials to cull the herd that has nearly conquered their community, however not everyone in the village is on board with such a plan.
Among the residents opposing the idea is Debbie O’Hara, who argued that the town should strengthen the fences designed to keep deer out of the village and post signs telling people to stop feeding the animals. "If you choose to live in a rural area, you are choosing to live in an environment that's surrounded by beautiful nature," she mused, "which includes wildlife." As of now, local officials simply say that they plan to meet and "consider our options" with regards to the problem. Meanwhile, the deer debate has overwhelmed the village in a manner not unlike the creatures themselves with Malcolm lamenting that "the atmosphere is pretty difficult. There's a lot of tension."