SIR Andy Murray and his wife are using lion poo — to stop deer eating tulips at their luxury hotel.
Bags of the pongy dung have been laid out to repel plant-munching mammals at Cromlix House, which is owned by the tennis hero and spouse Kim.
GettySir Andy, 37, and Kim bought the hotel in 2013 for £1.8million[/caption]
HANDOUTThe luxury hotel is located in Dunblane[/caption]
GettyBut the couple have decided to try and use lion poo to deter deer[/caption]
The flower damage came to light after Kim, 37, met with head gardener Kathy Beckett at the country retreat near Dunblane, Perthshire.
Wildlife experts reckon wild deer are hardwired to avoid the king of the jungle.
Kim said: “We got to chat about the deer-deterring properties of lion poo — if anyone has a spare wheelbarrow of that lying around.”
Her staff then turned for help to the nearby Blair Drummond Safari Park, which is home to a pride of African lions.
And the pungent delivery proved a more environmentally friendly solution than synthetic pesticides and fertilisers.
A spokesman at the five-star hotel explained: “Cromlix sits on a beautiful estate of 34 acres of woodland and gardens and we love to have deer and other wildlife.
“We follow agroecological principles with regard to pest control.
“So when Kathy heard about lion dung’s natural repellent properties she wanted to find out more as some deer visitors have taken a fancy to our tulips.
“We’ve acquired a bag and will be investigating whether it works.”
Wimbledon hero Sir Andy, 37, and Kim bought the property in 2013 for £1.8million.
It was named AA Scottish hotel of the year last September.
A spokesman for Blair Drummond Safari Park said: “We were happy to help our neighbours with this unusual, but surprisingly common, request.”
News Group Newspapers LtdThey sourced some lion dung from Blair Drummond Safari Park[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
