David_218
01-26-2006, 09:36 AM
http://ewradio.org/program.aspx?ProgramID=4177
A community in Illinois looks for a kinder approach to manage its
urban deer population. By Alison Coulson
Growing numbers of deer in suburban areas are destroying gardens and
colliding with cars more often. Most communities control this
problem through lethal means such as hunting.
But citizens in Highland Park, Illinois, oppose the killing of white-
tailed deer. They asked Nancy Mathews, a wildlife ecologist at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, to evaluate another method of
control. Mathews is studying tubal ligation, a form of surgical
sterilization, in female deer to see how it affects deer numbers.
"It's one of the first in the country, if not the world, to actually
do this. There are many other ways of sterilizing deer, but this is
the first study of its kind to test whether surgical sterilization
could lead to a long-term decline in population."
Researchers converted an ambulance into a mobile operating room.
They catch female deer in baited traps. Then a veterinarian
anesthetizes does and performs the procedure on site. At 750 dollars
per deer, it's a costly and time-consuming method. But Mathews says
it could become an option for communities willing to pay for it.
"We believe that surgical sterilization in an urban community such
as Highland Park is a viable means of regulating deer population
growth. It takes a longer time. It's very expensive to have a
veterinarian who will sterilize the deer. It requires special
equipment and training. But in areas that have a lot of opposition
to hunting, and especially in communities where firearms are not
acceptable, we believe this might provide an alternative to the
residents if they are willing to support it financially."
Until now, there haven't been any successful alternatives to the
lethal control of urban deer.
A community in Illinois looks for a kinder approach to manage its
urban deer population. By Alison Coulson
Growing numbers of deer in suburban areas are destroying gardens and
colliding with cars more often. Most communities control this
problem through lethal means such as hunting.
But citizens in Highland Park, Illinois, oppose the killing of white-
tailed deer. They asked Nancy Mathews, a wildlife ecologist at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, to evaluate another method of
control. Mathews is studying tubal ligation, a form of surgical
sterilization, in female deer to see how it affects deer numbers.
"It's one of the first in the country, if not the world, to actually
do this. There are many other ways of sterilizing deer, but this is
the first study of its kind to test whether surgical sterilization
could lead to a long-term decline in population."
Researchers converted an ambulance into a mobile operating room.
They catch female deer in baited traps. Then a veterinarian
anesthetizes does and performs the procedure on site. At 750 dollars
per deer, it's a costly and time-consuming method. But Mathews says
it could become an option for communities willing to pay for it.
"We believe that surgical sterilization in an urban community such
as Highland Park is a viable means of regulating deer population
growth. It takes a longer time. It's very expensive to have a
veterinarian who will sterilize the deer. It requires special
equipment and training. But in areas that have a lot of opposition
to hunting, and especially in communities where firearms are not
acceptable, we believe this might provide an alternative to the
residents if they are willing to support it financially."
Until now, there haven't been any successful alternatives to the
lethal control of urban deer.