Controversial deer kill thins Valley Forge herd
By Erin McCarthy, The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
But Houdret, whose
"They're all gone," he said as he walked his two Yorkshire terriers through the park on Thursday afternoon.
With birth control not yet a viable option for combatting deer overpopulation, officials from
Over eight nights between
The 5.3-mile
The culling -- deer are lured to specific areas and then shot -- will end when the deer-density or forest-regeneration goals are reached. Then the park will use reproductive control -- assuming a safe agent becomes available -- to maintain a desirable deer population.
The park has had a large increase -- more than 800 percent -- in tree seedlings since the culling began, and the surviving deer have become healthier, heavier, and more fertile. More than 20 tons of meat have been donated to local food banks.
One day, contraception will be an option, Gibson said. Health risks could result if deer were treated with immunocontraceptives and then shot and consumed by humans, Lawhon said.
"Keep people with guns out. That's what parks should be doing," said
Activists from
Cars zoom through
Deer were once an endangered species in
Then, depleted again by unrestricted hunting, strict game-management measures were needed to restore the population.
For humans, sharing backyards and roads with deer can be difficult. The ravenous herbivores are known to feast on plants and flower beds, and they dart out onto roads.
Last year in
As
"I can't imagine where they're going to find a deer to shoot," he said.
BY THE NUMBERS
600
Deer killed in 2010-11
377
Deer killed in 2011-12.
340
Deer killed in 2012-13.
116
Deer killed in 2013-14.
SOURCE:
610-313-8105
@ErinMcPSU
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