From: keith@clodii.Columbia.NCR.COM (Keith Boyd)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.animals
Subject: Re: Anti-hunters issue death threats in Ohio
Date: 11 Nov 92 18:58:44 GMT
Organization: NCR E&M Columbia SC

In article <1992Nov10.182528.24660@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> jhoskins@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (James M Hoskins) writes:
>In article <1992Nov10.161534.2327@icd.ab.com> kdw@icd.ab.com (Kenneth D. Whiteh
>ead) writes:
>
>>From the Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/10/92
>>
>>WILDLIFE OFFICIALS RECEIVE DEATH THREATS OVER DEER-KILL PLAN
>>
>>Wildlife officials faced with shooting whitetailed deer that have overpopulate
>d
>>Sharon Woods MetroPark in Columbus have received death threats if they carry o
>ut
>>the plan this winter.
>>
>>"Killing those deer is something we certainly don't want to do" said Pat Ruble
>,
>>head of game management for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, who confirmed the
>>death threats.  "Because of the threats I really can't talk about the manageme
>nt
>>plan, such as when and how it will be done, only that it will be sometime this
>>winter.
>
>
>Interesting article retyped by Kenneth.  I can comment some on the public
>reaction because I live only a few miles from the park.  At least as
>expressed in the major media outlets which I read or see, the reaction
>to the deer kill has been varied, with the dominant position being that
>the wildlife officials are doing what has to be done.
>
>The people who are set against the deer kill offer some of the following
>arguments:
>
>1)  The deer should be relocated.  A man from a rural county offered his
>    acreage for the deer to be removed to.  Apparently there are problems
>    with expense and about 50% deer mortality during relocation.
>

Something similar was attempted in Southern Florida and it failed very
badly. Wild deer do not like close contact with humans and make every
effort to struggle free when captured, quite often injuring themselves.

>2)  All the bucks should be removed from the park--no more should be allowed
>    to enter.
>

This is absurd and stupid. Remove all the bucks and then eventually ALL
the does die out and you have NO deer. I thought the AR stance was to    
leave the deer alone to propagate naturally without intererence or "pain
and suffering" caused by hunters shooting them. What would really happen
is that once the bucks were relocated, other bucks from the surrounding
woods would wander into the area and begin the breeding process all over
again. Without a way to "check and balance" (other than starvation and
predation) the process would start over and overpopulation would occur
again in time.

>3)  The wildlife officials should recognize that the Sharon Woods Park has
>    become a big petting zoo.  Feed the deer, continue birth control
>    attempts on the females, and get the population in check that way.
> 

Would the AR people and those who enjoy the "petting zoo" be willing
to pay for the costs involved with paying vets. to trap and "fix"
the does or bucks? I doubt it. Would the hunters be willing to pay 
a fee to go in and hunt them with shotguns or bows? You bet. (I gather
this is a semi-urban area which would preclude rifles) Either way,
I wouldn't expect the wildlife people to pay for any expensive programs
to control the herd. Their solution is cost effective. 


>4)  The killing of any non-human animal species by a human is ethically
>    and absolutely wrong.
> 

So why have those who oppose the killing of the deer made the death
threats????   Or did the threats come from some other special interest
group(s)??   

>
>As to the article's statement on the booming deer population in Ohio,
>especially in the newly suburbanizing counties surrounding major cities--
>very true.  Ask any neighbor who lives around where I do:  deer coming
>through windshields, deer causing accidents or near accidents, deer
>bouncing off cars and trucks.   My own car encounter with a doe was a
>1,400 dollar collision which, fortunately I lived through, but
>unfortunately brought the doe an excruciatingly painful injury and death.
>
>**

Ditto in SC. I have hit 1, my parents have hit 2. This is a very common
occurence all over the southeast, in general. As long as we have deer,
there will be accidents so there really is no solution to this problem.
(My parents tried the little ultrasonic deer whistles, but they don't
really seem to work as advertised.)

Keith

-- 
| Keith M. Boyd  (NCR MCPD Cola.) | Nothing could be finer than huntin' and  |
| 3325 Platt Springs Rd.          |    and fishin' in South Carolina! -Me-   | 
| West Cola., S.C. 29170 |  Go Volunteers!   | keith.boyd@columbiasc.NCR.COM |
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