Normally the
Ohio Division of Wildlife and the Humane Society of the United States are not
even in the same book let alone on the same page.
And yet the
state agency pegged with managing fish and wildlife as a renewable resource and
one of the nation’s most aggressive so-called animal rights groups are in accord
on one subject anyway.
The Wildlife
Division and the Humane Society together agree that it’s a not-too-bright idea
to feed urbanized white-tailed deer. Otherwise, the Humane Society and the
Wildlife Division say in unison, conflicts and confrontations between humans
and deer no doubt will increase.
Both opposing
points on the wildlife management compass say that the implication of “wild” in
wild animals is just another word for “unpredictable.”
Just how the
two polar opposite entities approached a recent “see-I-told-you-so” example is
where a diversion of tactics exists, however.
That
incident occurred earlier this month in the small Monroe County community of
Clarington.
What
happened was that a well-meaning clutch of Clarington neighbors began
hand-feeding a buck white-tailed deer. So “tame” had this deer become that some
people even allowed the buck to eat from their hands.
Yet what
sounds like a story of a wild animal becoming something of a domesticated
ungulate is really a red-flag of a potentially serious incident.
Concerned with
the approach of the breeding season for white-tailed deer, the Wildlife
Division took a protective and aggressive approach in dealing with the animal.
An officer with the Wildlife Division shot the animal.
That action
outraged many of Clarington’s fine folk; people who believed the deer should
have been relocated.
However, the
Wildlife Division is not retreating, noting that relocating a wild animal along
the lines of a high-strung white-tailed deer is neither easy nor free of
potential safety issues for it and any capturing personnel.
Besides,
says Wildlife Division chief Scott Zody, where does one transplant a deer to in
Ohio – especially in deer-rich southeast?
Where,
indeed, begs an answer.
“The buck
was a free-range deer and at least 1 ½ years old; maybe 2 ½ years old,” said
Zody. “This deer was put down for safety reasons; it’s highly abnormal for a
free-range deer to act in the manner of this buck.”
Zody said
also that since the rut is only several weeks away, the laws of nature says the
buck will certainly become more aggressive when its full measure of testosterone
“kicks in.”
“Imagine a
child coming between that buck and a doe in heat during the rut,” Zody said.
With the icy-cold
logic of science behind it the Wildlife Division took the last remaining – and practical
– option by dispatching the buck.
“If you were
to watch the videos in the story presented on one of the local television news
broadcasts you would see the buck ‘playing’ with a man; exhibiting the early
signs of sparring behavior,” Zody said. “A month or so from now when those
antlers will be shed of their velvet and become sharp, such a scenario would
not end well.”
Yes, says
the Humane Society’s Ohio State Director/State Affairs Ms. Corey Roscoe,
feeding deer in the manner done in Clarington was a pretty bad idea.
Ms. Roscoe
says the Humane Society fully understands as well that a ill-considered tame buck
in rut is a potentially serious matter that could harm someone.
Now comes
the Humane Society’s “but.”
“But a
non-lethal approach should have been tried before the rather arbitrary decision
to kill the animal was made,” Roscoe said. “There are many ways to live harmoniously
with wildlife (which) are able to use the urbanized habitat we share.”
Furthermore,
Roscoe calls the Wildlife Division’s decision to dispatch the buck “a slippery
slope” where killing a potentially injurious animal is preferable to educating
the public about the dangers, risks and harm of feeding critters like the buck.
On that
educational point the Wildlife Division also is in agreement, pointing out the
folly of trying to tame what Nature never really intended to be tamed.
Now if the
good citizens of Clarington and its elected officials would only put the brakes
on their emotions and apply common sense, they – and the deer of Monroe County –
will be better off.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
Jeff
is the retired News-Herald reporter who covered the earth sciences,
the area's three county park systems and the outdoors for the newspaper.
During his 30 years with The News-Herald Jeff was the recipient of more
than 100 state, regional and national journalism awards. He also is a
columnist and features writer for the Ohio Outdoor News, which is
published every other week and details the outdoors happenings in the
state.
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