Deer Culls Rip People Apart; Volatile Hostility Surging on Social Media

Articles about deer overpopulation, protecting biodiversity, forest regeneration, disease, and road safety appear in the media on a regular basis. Over the summer, I noticed an increasing amount of news sources reporting “deer overpopulation” in suburban and urban communities across the United States.

It is disturbing how the media portrays “deer overpopulation.” They sensationalize “deer overpopulation” as if it were an apocalyptic crisis. The use of melodrama, polarizing rhetoric, emotional triggers, and simplified problem-solving provokes intense reactions and inflames the public.

While there is no exact data tracking the precise number of American cities that kill deer to control populations, the selective slaughter of deer is progressively common. Cities, suburban townships, and municipal jurisdictions, actively conduct lethal deer removal. Even the United States military carries out killing operations on bases and federal installations across the country.

In late July, I came across across a post by WildCru, the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, about a study entitled, “Deer, people and predators: regional perceptions of management, conservation, and coexistence in the United States,” by Bernd Blossey (Cornell University), Elaine Brice (Wellesley College) and Darragh Hare (University of Oxford).

The post stated, “These findings suggest there is more common ground on deer management than public debate often implies.”

Out of curiosity, I downloaded the survey questionnaire. The multiple choice survey focused solely on lethal “deer management” based on the same (lame) justifications for the selective slaughter of deer. It did not include any information on or reference about the available and innovative non-lethal alternatives to killing deer.

With no point of comparison, their assessment simply reinforces the negative perception of deer, promotes a culture of killing, and does not contribute to understanding "public attitudes and beliefs about deer welfare and management.”

Intervention and protection of the environment may be necessary, but killing deer to save the environment and other species avoids addressing climate change, habitat destruction, and damage to the natural environment caused by human activities.

I’m not a scientist, but their survey of 4,830 people in 12 states, out of an estimated population of 349 million, does not reflect the attitudes of American citizens.

The targeted, lethal removal of deer to reduce population size is an extremely polarizing topic. There is a severe division between people who support killing deer and those who support using deer fertility control.

The response wars across social media platforms reflect a more realistic view of how divisive lethal deer-environment strategies really are. It brings out the worst in people. Instead of inspiring meaningful conversation between opposing opinions, it creates friction, conflict, and hostile arguments on social media platforms.

Active listening and direct problem-solving is completely absent. Instead of thoughtful discussion, the majority of responses are offensive, inflammatory, and trigger anger and verbal abuse.

Traditional conservationists and their supporters are rigid and unwilling to accept new approaches like deer fertility control. It blows my mind that people actually think that killing deer to reduce deer population is humane and reflects responsible stewardship.

I’m accustomed to hostile comments and reactions on my articles opposing the Arlington County Government’s Deer Kill Program. I recently rejected an offer to participate in an interview about the Arlington, Virginia deer sharpshooting program because I do not want to be part of a social media war about who is right and wrong, pits people against each other, and will only further fracture the Arlington community.

I’m not interested in making a name for myself. I advocate for peaceful coexistence with deer and deer fertility control in Arlington, Virginia as part of the solution.

It’s not a matter of how many deer Arlington and other American cities should or shouldn’t have. The issue is public education, embracing non-lethal methods to resolve deer-human conflicts and deer-environment strategies humanely.

Of greatest importance, local governments across the United States, like the Arlington County Board (Matt de Ferranti, Maureen Coffey, Susan Cunningham, Julius D. "JD" Spain, Sr., and Takis Karantonis), need to listen to their constituents, reject the mass killing of deer, and accept deer fertility control as the solution.

Please sign and share our petition to Stop the Arlington Deer Kill Program and terminate the sharpshooting contract with Wildlife Resources, LLC.

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