Deer head delivered in protest to SM Park officials

[proud2BlibKansan]

Yes, it's the severed head of a deer.

Jason Miller, an animal rights activist, got the deer head from a meat processor and brought it to Shawnee Mission Park today.

He wanted to graphically demonstate what is about to happen to 75 percent of a herd of deer in Shawnee Mission Park that is estimated to be about 700.

Sharpshooters will begin controlled shooting of the deer next month to reduce a population that park officials say is out of control.

Miller placed the deer head in a basket and left it on the counter of the park district's headquarters.

http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/20067

[Tim01]

1. I wonder if the radical freak is dangerous. nt

[bbinacan]

2. So what does this idiot

prefer. Death by starvation?

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. He sort of has a point

This is a huge suburban park. They built a golf course that pushed the deer into other areas of the park. So people started complaining about too many deer.

[bbinacan]

7. I still stand by my question. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. I agree with you

Just wanted to add more information. :)

[Ikonoklast]

3. Would he rather they starve, or die from disease?

Overpopulation of indigenous animals without predators is a problem, and culling a herd is a rational solution.

There are finite resources within the confines of the park; therefore there is a limit to the number of deer those resources can support.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. Looking for a problem here

If the herd is too large it need to be culled. The meat will be eaten

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. They are donating the meat to a food pantry

[Mari333]

8. get rid of the fucking golf course

and the deer will be fine.

[scarletwoman]

11. Unless you also introduce natural predators into the area, the deer will NOT be fine.

An urban park is not a balanced ecosystem, golf course or no golf course. A balanced ecosystem has predators to keep the herbivore numbers in check. Unless Shawnee Mission wants to introduce a wolf pack into the park, human hunters will have to do the job.

I live in a rural woodland area. We have some wolves and some coyotes, but farmers are still allowed to kill the predatory species, which means that without a deer hunting season, the deer will over-populate to the point of starvation -- which is much crueler death than a hunter's bullet.

Unless we are willing to revert to a completely wild state with no urban areas and no domestic herd animals, the culling of deer herds will remain a sad necessity.

As long as the meat is put to good use, I see no good reason to object to the hunt. Deer are certainly in no danger of going extinct.

sw

[Mari333]

13. Well, let me see. who would I rather live next to, deer or people in McMansions.

I think I would prefer the deer, is all Im saying.

[scarletwoman]

14. I understand. I love deer, I cry every time I see their dead bodies on the side of the highway.

Every day, on the rural 2 lane highway that I drive on for my 20 mile commute to work there are almost always one or more newly roadkilled deer along the sides of the road. It always breaks my heart.

I've been lucky so far that I haven't hit one myself -- they can leap out onto the road at any moment, and over the years I've slammed on the brakes countless times to avoid them. It's like Russian Roulette -- I expect that sooner or later I'll see a deer just a moment too late to avoid a collision. Every day I watch the sides of the road like a hawk, on constant alert.

No McMansions here, just mile after mile of woods and farm fields. Where there are humans and deer living in the same geographic area, there are deer that will die, one way or another.

sw

[Canuckistanian]

10. Deer overpopulation is a real problem

Although I wouldn't advocate delivering severed deer parts to officials, something should be done.

Since we can't introduce natural predators to populated areas, culling is the only alternative.

[Beer on a stick]

12. What a stupid protest. Like the officials don't know what happens.

The deer get shot.

Big fucking whoop.

[Kansas Wyatt]

15. Perhaps man needs to reintroduce wolves to the area.

Would that make everyone happy or is it just about saving Bambi only?

Nobody is stopping the protesters of the deer kill from buying up the golf course, erecting a fence to contain them, and insuring the deer herd for potential disease and damage caused.