Politicians, Park Service Clash Over Deer Shooting

In Point Reyes National Seashore, the National Park Service is pursuing an aggressive policy of eliminating exotic deer by administering contraceptives and shooting them with high-powered rifles. Sounds gruesome.

But there's a catch: The deer in question are non-native fallow deer, from Asia Minor, and axis deer, from India and Sri Lanka. The eradication plan is actually supported by the Sierra Club and the National Parks and Conservation Association. But carcasses found near trails and residences generated an uproar, and several high-powered politicians have joined with the Humane Society in calling for a moratorium on the deer shootings. U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and three other California congressmen wrote a letter to the National Park Service "to express our serious concern about the shooting" and suggest that park officials "halt the planned shooting for four to six months."

The letter goes on to urge the park service to employ contraceptive techniques alone to rid the park of the deer. About 100-150 non-native deer remain in the park, and the park underwent a 5-year process to plan the removal of the deer. Even Point Reyes wildlife biologist Natalie Gates doesn't think contraception is enough.

"No matter what drug you use, with a wild population as large as ours, it is not practical to use only contraception to control or remove all the nonnative deer," she said.

The deer were introduced to the area in the 1940s by ranchers as exotic hunting quarry. They've flourished since and compete with local black-tailed deer and tule elk.

Politicians seek end to deer shooting in park (San Francisco Chronicle)

PRINT THIS PAGE EMAIL THIS PAGE RSS FEED

Digg Delicious Yahoo Facebook Reddit StumbleUpon Google Newsvine Facebook Twitter

READERS COMMENTS

I think that the tree huggers and animal rights folks should stay out of this one. These deer are non native and need to be removed the park service should however not hire proffesional hunters but instead have hunters come in and take the animals. They could also make a little bit of money by selling hunting permits. This will not open up hunting in other parks it is purely removing an invasive species but bringing a recreational and economical aspect into the equation by allowing the public to hunt in the park
Posted: May 19, 2008 tough break

Natalie Gates' information is incorrect and self serving. The author of White Paper submitted to NPS a scientist Dr. John Grandy of HSUS consulted with other noted scientists for fact verification and here are a few disputes to NPS and Ms Gates "claims". These are verifiable FACTS:
1. With regard to NPS claims of extreme cost and effective application of contraception: (incorrect)
"The PZP vaccine and darts are relatively inexpensive; actually less than $50/treatment (primer
dose @ $21 + booster dose @ $21 + 2 darts @ $3.; and that is only for the first year. Thereafter
the cost is about $25./year.) the primary cost in such programs is labor to administer the vaccine
(Rutberg 2005). At Fire Island National Seashore, where deer were accessible and capture for
tagging was not necessary, treatments took 1.4 hours per deer (Naugle et al. 2002). At another
site, contraceptive darting took 1.6 hours per deer (Rutberg et al. 2004). The EIS assumes 6
hours per inoculation (p. 37). Even at 6 hours per doe, treatment of 80 does would take 60 person
days per year. Moreover, significant savings would be ensured if it were the case that deer
were not subject to immobilization and tagging based on the successful precedent of contracepting
white-tailed deer with PZP at Fire Island National Seashore and the demonstrated safety of
the vaccine. If population numbers for axis and fallow deer are as low as some believe, the
chances of a PZP vaccination program succeeding rapidly would be greatly increased.

2. With regard to HSUS contraception being �older and much less advanced than the one Park Service already uses: (incorrect)

"PZP has been in use longer and consequently has been thoroughly tested and proven to work (as I stated in my paper). It does not cause behavioral or other problems. The USDA contraceptive GonaCon is relatively new and experimental in the extreme. The adjuvant seems to cause serious health problems for deer. PZP and its adjuvant, by contrast, are safe and efficacious; PZP consistently inhibits pregnancy with between 90 and 100 percent effectiveness and produces no long term negative health consequences. Furthermore, if the Fire Island model is adopted, it can be used without the necessity of immobilizing and marking each deer."
--

3. With regard to Fallow/Axis brought to Pt Reyes for hunting: Incorrect:

Millard �Doc� Ottinger had them brought to Pt Reyes in 1949 for the � viewing pleasure of the community�. Ambrose Gondola is quoted. He was the one who actually gathered them and brought them to Pt. Reyes and currently lives in Pt. Reyes.

I am committed to getting factual information out there about what is really happening here and will be happy to speak to you if you have another interest to write about. I work in the city for Shorenstein, but have a weekend home in Bolinas and have for 23 years. As mentioned I had the idea and hired the helicopter to fly over the park the day we had heard from a rancher that there would be a mass killing. I�m not sure I would have been as brave as you!

With regards,

Cindy

Cindy Testa-McCullagh
Public Affairs Director
Shorenstein LLP
555 California Street 4900
San Francisco, Ca 94104
415-987-8930 c

Posted: May 16, 2008 cindy testa-mccullagh