Late last month I published this entry regarding Valley Forge National Historic Park’s deer population and desire for “thinning” it. So over the weekend when I read about “ravenous deer” being hunted in my own backyard of Northern Virginia (and that said deer were being defended by Bob Barker), the animal activist within me was eager to look into the details of this story. According to Marc Fisher’s article in Sunday’s Washington Post, Martina Caputy, a Great Falls resident who is the wife of a neurosurgeon who operated on Bob Barker, contacted Mr. Barker to inform him that her neighbors, John and Carmela Peterson, had obtained a kill permit and hired a hunter to eliminate the deer who were congregating in their yard and ruining their landscape. Mr. Barker, who has helped animal rights’ causes in the past, penned a letter to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries detailing a long list of grievances had by the Peterson’s killing of deer, all for the “sake of a few flowers.” To read Fisher’s article in full, click here.
I have mixed feelings about the deer herd and handling of its (over)population. In the case of the Petersons of Great Falls, the hunted deer were donated to feed the homeless, but on the other hand, from the point of view of animal rights activists like the Caputys, kill permits are usually granted to farms and other food/plant providers where deer threaten “people’s livelihood” and not to individuals hoping to protect their yards’ landscaping.
The deer population is growing, and it seems that killing deer is not the answer (eliminating the lives of a few deer will likely not do much to reduce the large population that is currently pressuring environments like those in Northern Virginia and in Valley Forge, PA) . In a previous discussion, Abbie from Farmer’s Daughter suggested that the deer population may naturally correct itself over time because the environment simply cannot support the large population; however, my question is now, what is more humane? Because we have eliminated deer’s natural predators, we have created the problem of hosting too many deer. As the creators of the deer population boom, is it more humane to kill the deer off in large numbers (literally wiping the population out) or should we sit back and let nature run its course, allowing the deer to die from starvation?
This is a complicated problem, but it is my feeling that since we have played a large part in creating it, we should devote a great deal of thought and effort in humanely working to solve it. I would appreciate the thoughts and input of others who care about the environment and the lives of innocent animals, as well as those who are concerned about how their lives cross and interact with wildlife. Please share your thoughts, solutions, and ideas in the comments.
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July 22nd, 2008 at 6:03 pm
I share your feelings that we should think long and hard about our role in the deer population. It’s an interesting question, which is more humane? I don’t think I know the answer to that one, but I can say that I am absolutely against the killing of deer to preserve landscaping. I love to see the deer in my backyard, and I would hate to have one of my neighbors obtain a permit and hire a hunter to kill them.
However, as you said about the overpopulation, allowing deer to starve does not seem to be any more humane. I think in an ideal world, we would eat all of the deer we hunt. However, we do not live in an ideal world.
One other thing to note is that there is a wasting disease, similar to Mad Cow disease, in some wild deer populations. This disease will help to limit populations, but, like Mad Cow, can be transmitted to humans that eat the meat.
So I guess the bottom line of my comment is that we all need to think more about it- and there’s not a definite answer of what is right in this situation.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Definitely (we need to think more about managing the overpopulation of deer and other species). However, I don’t think that we (human beings who make decisions affecting the environment and wildlife) should simply “let nature run its course”–whatever that means. While there is deer overpopulation throughout the U.S., each situation varies, and finding the right way to manage these situations must vary too. For example, donating deer meat of deer infected with a wasting disease (to the homeless or anyone else) doesn’t make sense, but donating meat obtained from healthy animals does (if one chooses to eat animals).
The reason that I post my thoughts about these deer overpopulation “crises” is because I don’t have the answer(s) and I think it is a worthwhile exercise for those of us who are willing to put forth an effort on behalf of the environment and wildlife (I realize my explanation is probably redundant for many folks who regularly read Green Mamma).
There is an old Buddhist saying something like, if you dirty a bowl, wash it. Thus, if we created a problem, we need to fix it, not destroy it.