Shawnee ? Officials at a suburban Kansas City park are looking at ways to reduce an exploding population of whitetail deer.

Wildlife officials estimate there are about 400 deer in Shawnee Mission Park, about eight times as many as the 1,250-acre site can support.

The Johnson County Park and Recreation board plans to meet on June 17 to discuss how to reduce the deer population. Ideas range from bow hunting to relocation.

Charles Lee, a wildlife expert at Kansas State University, says the deer population has become a nuisance and a threat to the park’s ecological balance.

Officials say fewer deer could mean fewer ticks and less of a threat of Lyme disease.