Why are so many deer attracted to Oakland Hills neighborhood?

"DEAR JOAN: My wife and I have been living in the Oakland Hills for 45 years. Just in the last year we have seen many deer move into our neighborhood. On evening dog walks we always see three to half a dozen. The other night, coming back from a baseball game, we drove by at least a dozen hanging out in one of the neighbors' well-lit and large driveways."

"I haven't found one neighbor who is annoyed by their presence. In fact one night a few weeks ago one of the small deer started walking up to me until my wife pulled me back and said, "For their own protection, you don't want them to get too used to us." Our neighborhood association even put up deer crossing signs to slow down the cars."

Residents in the Oakland Hills have observed a notable increase in deer over the past year, with groups of three to a dozen seen regularly during evening walks and congregating in well-lit driveways. Neighbors generally accept and sometimes encourage the deer, installing deer crossing signs and avoiding behaviors that habituate animals. Proposed causes include overbreeding, absence of predators, reduced human presence during Covid lockdowns, and displacement from construction. Deer populations respond to predators, disease, food and water availability. Covid-related changes appear less significant now because routines largely returned within the past five years. A combination of rural setting and welcoming human behavior likely promotes local deer expansion.

Read at The Mercury News