HSUS Report: Axis and Fallow Deer at Point Reyes National Seashore Should Not Be Eradicated California Lawmakers Call for Immediate Stop to Shooting these Deer Published on May 16, 2008 - 8:13:17 AM
WASHINGTON, May 15, 2008 -- After the release of a white paper by The Humane Society of the United States, several of California's top officials – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, and U.S. Reps. Lynn Woolsey, Anna Eshoo, and George Miller -- are calling for an immediate halt to the shooting of deer at Point Reyes National Seashore. The HSUS paper identifies problems with the National Park Service's eradication plans for axis and fallow deer on lands the agency administers, and proposes a contraceptive plan as an alternative means of population control.
"Shooting the deer at Point Reyes is not a desirable or humane course of action by the National Park Service, and The HSUS and California's leading lawmakers know there is a better course to follow," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "I want to express my gratitude to Speaker Pelosi, Senators Boxer and Feinstein, and Representatives Woolsey, Eshoo and Miller for their humane sensibilities. With the advances in immunocontraceptive technology, we can implement a plan that can achieve a win-win outcome for all involved."
The HSUS' paper authored by John Grandy, Ph.D., The HSUS's senior vice president of wildlife and habitat protection, points out that the patchwork of lands that axis and fallow deer inhabit makes eradication a virtual impossibility. At the same time, Dr. Grandy argues that an immunocontraception program can stabilize and ultimately reduce populations of both deer species.
The axis and fallow deer have become cultural attractions for residents and visitors to Point Reyes. The inhumane nature of the eradication process by NPS has sparked public outcry from local citizens, including hunters, community leaders and animal welfare protection agencies. Despite this outcry, immunocontraceptive methods have not been allowed to work and nearly half of the population of these deer has been killed as of Jan. 2008. Numerous animals found died from wounds that caused prolonged suffering before death.
