Releasing pheasants into the countryside may boost the risk of humans catching Lyme disease, according to new research from universities and the UK Health Security Agency.
The study, published in the journal Ecology Letters, found the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease was almost 2.5 times more common in ticks located in areas where the gamebirds were released.
Some 35 to 48 million pheasants are released into the UK countryside each year to be shot for sport. Lyme disease-infected ticks can be found right across Scotland, including on Luss Estates land on the West Bank of Loch Lomondside and on the Blackhill around Arden, but are most prevalent in the Highlands and Tayside.
The full, exclusive story by Jamie Mann is in the Ferret investigative journal today.