Friday, Jun. 12, 2009

In this case, deer are just a nuisance

Deer represent many things to different people. They are pretty, graceful animals that occasionally come into unfortunate contact with humans—especially when there are too many of them in the wrong place.

The situation at Shawnee Mission Park is one of those situations.

Pure and simple, this issue is about eradicating an annoying pest. That’s right, a pest. We’re not talking about Bambi, or any other cartoon notion some people have of deer. We’re talking about an infestation of foliage-stripping, tick-carrying animals that has far outgrown the ability of the park to sustain.

Yes, it’s fun to watch the deer run through the park. It won’t be fun to watch them eventually die of starvation or disease, which could happen if their rising numbers continue to go unchecked.

If the park was overrun with rats, bats or even coyotes this wouldn’t be an issue. You’d have all kinds of volunteers flocking to rid the park of the vermin. But because the offenders are doe-eyed deer, some folks—most of them well-intentioned even if not always well-informed—won’t even entertain the notion of any kind of harvest.

On Wednesday, the county parks board will consider a staff recommendation to use sharpshooters and bow hunters to sharply cull a herd that, by some expert estimates, is seven times larger than the park can support.

Putting emotion aside, the recommendation to reduce the herd is a good one. It’s a solution that has been employed successfully in the past in the county.

In 2003, Olathe organized a similar hunt/harvest to reduce a troublesome deer population around the Cedar Creek area. That eradication took place without incident and should serve as an example for Johnson County to follow in Shawnee Mission Park.

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