1/29/2008

Deer Spreading into in even densely populated areas

Here is what one New Jersey County is trying to do:

MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (AP) -- On a hilltop with breathtaking views of New York's skyline, sharpshooters perched in trees took aim Tuesday at white-tailed deer, a species being crowded out of one of the nation's most densely populated areas.
The problem is common enough in New Jersey's suburbs, as it is in other communities that have brought in marksmen to thin the herd: When their numbers get too great, the gentle animals destroy the forest, spread Lyme disease and pose a hazard for drivers.
But perhaps nowhere else have the trained shooters been so close to so many people as they are on the South Mountain Reservation, a nature preserve bordering hundreds of high-priced homes in the thick of the country's most crowded state.
"I could come out on my deck and get shot," said Sharon McClenton, a 42-year-old teacher whose house in West Orange butts up against the preserve.
Officials and many other residents insist, to the consternation of animal rights activists, that the hunt is necessary. . . .

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

1. Why is this hunt not open to the general population of licensed hunters? Wild game belongs to the people, not a select few chosen by politicians. This is not Sherwood forest and the wildlife is not the domain of "professional hunters" selected by politicos.
2. Special training? What special training is needed? NJ already requires a hunters to pass a hunter education course. This is an excuse to use "professional" hunters to eventually outlaw sport hunting amongst the public.
3. What are these neighbors afraid of? Regulated public hunts are routinely conducted in suburban areas of Pennsylvania and Long Island on same or less acreage. There are to my knowledge no injuries to non hunters after several years. But there are routinely deer-vehicle accidents that injure and kill, so you'd think they'd take their chances with the hunters.

1/30/2008 3:46 PM  

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