Letter: Deer Kill Unjust

Posted 12/9/21

Journalistic integrity is hard to come by when reporting on the deer issue.  The public expects accurate and fair coverage of the issue.  It’s only right that deer get a fair shake.  In the interest of balance and thoroughness, a reporter would uncover a wealth of information in support of deer. 

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Letter: Deer Kill Unjust

Posted

A recent Philadelphia Inquirer article about the annual deer kill in the Fairmount Park system prompted me to sound off.  Journalistic integrity is hard to come by when reporting on the deer issue.  The public expects accurate and fair coverage of the issue.  It’s only right that deer get a fair shake.  In the interest of balance and thoroughness, a reporter would uncover a wealth of information in support of deer. 

There is so much to learn.  Noteworthy is the fact that white-tailed deer represent a significant and previously unappreciated vector of seed dispersal across North America, including native species.  Trillium grandiflorum seeds are dispersed as well in eastern North America.  This Trillium can be found in the Wissahickon.

Interestingly, the main stressor on the ecology of the Wissahickon is the human, according to Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW).  The impacts are said to be “severe.”  High levels of visitation in the park can have a significant impact on the behavior of local wildlife as well.

Of course deer have an impact on the ecology, but the science that suggested that deer ravaged one park’s ecosystem has been challenged.  It must be said that there’s never been a proper vegetation study in the Wissahickon.

Scientific integrity around the deer issue here is nowhere to be found.  Deer are scapegoats for larger ecological problems.  Human practices also play a role in the big picture. 

The war on deer is unjust and must be rejected.  The annual intrusion is self-perpetuating.  Shooting deer so habituated to a non-threatening human presence is a betrayal of trust and an open-air execution.  Philadelphia Advocates for the Deer (PAD) will continue to speak out against this injustice.

Bridget W. Irons