THEY are the noble monarchs of the glen, running wild on the Scottish hills and providing a major draw for tourists and hunters alike.
But red deer in Scotland are being dosed with a herbal remedy to stop the spread of tick borne-disease which can be fatal to humans.
Trials of a compound containing a combination of 10 herbs and other plants including garlic, thyme and walnut, ha
ve been carried out among deer herds in three areas of the Highlands and Islands.
The concoction is aimed at killing ticks which carry a range of infections such as tick-borne fever and Lyme disease.
The incidence of tick-borne disease in the UK has risen five-fold in the past decade, according to experts, because of an explosion in numbers of the insects caused by mild winters.
In Scotland, the number of cases of Lyme disease – caused by the bacterium borrelia spread by insects – rose from 10 a decade ago to 177 in 2006.
Although rarely fatal, it can cause muscle pain, serious flu-like symptoms, paralysis, blindness, arthritic, neurological, psychiatric and cardiac problems.
The ticks are normally carried on animals such as sheep, deer and cattle, but can be transferred to humans walking through undergrowth.
One high-profile victim is US President George Bush, who is believed to have contracted a mild version while out mountain biking in Maine in 2006. The progress of the disease was halted by antibiotics.
As the largest land mammal in Scotland, red deer can carry thousands of blood-sucking ticks, which are about the size of a grape pip, on their hides.
The herbal blocks change the composition of tick saliva, which solidifies and leaves the insect unable to feed. Without nutrition, the insect dies.
Three estates, which have not been named – in Islay, the Cairngorms and near Inverness – have helped biologists conducting the trial over the last three years.
Hundreds of deer have been fed the herbal combination in feed buckets and the results will be published in a scientific journal later this year.
If proved to be successful, the technique could be used on herds throughout Scotland. The country's population of wild deer – red, roe, sika and fallow – is estimated at around 500,000 animals and rising due to a lack of natural predators and a warming winter climate.
Roy Brown, visiting professor of biology at Birkbeck College, London, and an authority on ticks, said the trial began three years ago and is due to end in June.
He said: "The ticks are feeding on the deer, which are feeding on the herbal products. They get into the deer's bloodstream, stop the ticks feeding and they wither and die. More testing is needed but it appears to be a successful technique."
A former nurse who contracted Lyme disease in Scotland is Katrina Anderson, 48. She was bitten by an infected tick 17 years ago and expects her ordeal to continue for the rest of her life.
"The symptoms are arthritic pain and muscle pain," she said. "Your whole body is sensitive and aches. I also get headaches and tinnitus."
Anderson, who is vice-chair of Borreliosis and Associated Disease Awareness UK, says the medical profession is still misdiagnosing the condition.
Top tick tipsTick numbers are growing because of climate change, more people visiting the countryside and a rise in the number of host animals such as deer.
The main ways to protect yourself against ticks are:
&149 Use a Deet insect repellent that is effective against ticks;
&149 Avoid wearing shorts or skirts in rural and wooded areas and tuck trousers into socks;
&149 If possible, cover up all exposed skin with protective clothing;
&149 Removing a tick as soon as possible minimises the possibility of a disease being transferred. Examine your skin for ticks and remove them with fine-tipped tweezers; do not burn them off. They tend to seek out warm, damp areas such as the groin, armpit and back of the knee, making self-inspection important.
