Rheumatoid Arthritis Support

Richmond Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a National Nature Reserve and a Special Area of Conservation for the Stag beetle.

Herds of red and fallow deer roam freely within much of the park. A cull takes place each November to ensure numbers can be sustained.

Many of the deer in Richmond Park are infected with a bacterium called ''Borrelia burgdorferi'' which can be transmitted to humans through a tick bite causing Lyme disease. ''Borrelia'' belong to a group of bacteria known as spirochetes which cause a number of diseases worldwide, including syphilis, leptospirosis, relapsing fever and Lyme disease.

It is an important refuge for other wildlife, including woodpeckers, squirrels, rabbits, stag beetles and many other insects plus numerous ancient trees and varieties of fungi.

Richmond Park supports a large population of what are believed to be Ring-necked Parakeets. These bred from birds that escaped or were freed from captivity.


Adapted from the Wikipedia article Richmond Park, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki