The hunt should move forward
Damage to human health and
property is a valid reason for the proposed managed deer hunt in Chadds Ford
Township.
Deer are the major vector for
the adult ticks that cause Lyme and other debilitating diseases. During the
rut, they scamper and dart across roadways causing accidents that result in
their own death as well as damage to cars and the calm of the motorists.
Property owners know what damage these herbivores cause in gardens and yards.
They can also damage cash crops grown by farmers.
Finding the right way to
control the damage has been the goal of a Chadds Ford Civic Association task
force for the several years. Working in the conjunction with the township,
several studies and surveys led to two conclusions: The large deer population
is major problem and the best way to reduce that population, and the problem,
is through a managed hunt.
A copy of the task force’s
findings can be found at http://the.chaddsfordcivicassn.org/,
but the short form is that 43 percent of people responding to a survey said
they, or someone in their household, had contracted Lyme.
A study by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (funded by Chadds Ford Township) showed the deer population in
the township is 144 deer per square acre. The USDA said a population density of
10 per square acre is best. A population that’s more than 14 times what it
should be is why parts of Route 1 almost look as if they were sprayed with red
paint in the fall. It’s blood from the road kill.
So what is the best way to
reduce the population? Insecticide to kill the ticks is costly and not always
effective. And that won’t prevent the road kill or save crops or a homeowner’s
plants.
According to Tim Smail, a
wildlife biologist, conservationist and the township deer management officer,
contraception is also impractical. The best method, he said, is a managed hunt.
In a managed hunt, more does
than bucks are taken. This dramatically reduces the population over time.
Taking the bucks only is what caused the great increase in the deer population,
a population that was almost extinct by the turn of the last century.
We are sensitive and appreciative
of those who oppose hunting. However, the damage to people, property and the
deer themselves because of the overpopulation, necessitates strong action. For
those reasons, we support efforts of the township, the Civic Association task
force and those property owners who choose to have their lands hunted.
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