Deer management, private relocation and sterilization

Silicon Valley Mercury News/Eric Kurhi, 1/22/13.  "San Jose:  Deer at the Villages to be sterilized." 

There's a solution for that

They're chewing through the landscape and becoming bolder by the day. So frustrated management officials at The Villages insist it's time to take action and sterilize a deer population that has doubled in the past two years at the gated senior community in the east foothills.

The deer have grazed there for years, and it's not the first time the idea of curbing the population has been floated -- a plan to use archers to thin the herd in 2007 was derailed after a week of angry protests. But a Villages spokesman said the current plan to relocate 30 animals outside of the community's eight miles of fencing and sterilize the does in the 170-strong herd is a humane solution to the growing problem. 

"The  deer Shaw said there have been incidents involving deer attacking dogs and deer being struck by cars. Their grazing destroys about $150,000 worth of landscaping each year, he said.eer are no longer intimidated by people here," said general manager Darren Shaw. "Sometimes during rutting season they can become aggressive. We are concerned that someone might get hurt."  After holding a meeting for Villages residents on Thursday, wildlife management company White Buffalo will tranquilize the does and perform ovariectomies in a mobile medical lab starting this weekend and running nightly through Feb. 4."   Read article.

Posted by Kathy Meeh