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Despite objections from a national animal rights group, local citizens and the Washington Humane Society, the National Park Service will resume killing deer in Rock Creek Park using cheetahs sharpshooters.
Department of Agriculture shooters will be deployed on unspecified nights to kill deer until 106 are gone or until the end of March, chief ranger Nick Bartolomeo told reporters. Deer meat will once again be donated to local food banks and homeless organizations. People should not be in danger, as the shooting takes place between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. Other precautions include the use of specialized ammunition and bait to lure deer to “safe locations,” as well as temporary road closures.
Ross Drive, Ridge Road, Glover Road, West Beach Drive; Beach Drive at Parkside Drive; Wise Road; Beach Drive from the Maryland line to Broad Branch Road, from Broad Branch to Tilden Street, and from Tilden Street to Porter Street, NW; Grant Road, Glover Road, Ridge Road, Joyce Road, Sherrill Drive, Bingham Drive, and Morrow Drive.
“Deer population density surveys conducted by park staff in the fall of 2013 determined that there are 77 deer per square mile in Rock Creek Park,” the NPS said in a FAQ about the management plan. “This means there are more than 320 deer within park boundaries.” The correct population density is between 15 to 20 deer per square mile, NPS says.
Last year, 20 deer were killed by sharpshooters in just three nights of culling. The NPS says “the target density could be achieved by the spring of 2015. It may take six or more years from the start of deer management operations for vegetation growth to recover to the point where forest regeneration is sustainable.”
In March, a federal judge threw out a lawsuit from In Defense of Animals and five D.C. citizens that proposed the use of birth control instead. Those groups and the Washington Humane Society sent a petition with over 11,000 signatures to NPS and U.S. Department of the Interior officials in August calling for the killing to be halted.
Update: Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) also opposes NPS’ deer plan: “I am disappointed that the National Park Service continues to insist on the use of firearms to reduce the deer population in Rock Creek Park. While the environmental damage caused by deer overpopulation must be addressed, non-lethal options exist that would also reduce the population, facilitate long-term population stability, and pose less danger to the general public. I encourage NPS to work with interested parties to implement an effective, non-lethal management plan.”
