 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Immunocontraception- The growing threat of deer birth control (6/20/2002) Deer birth control
projects are on the rise and constitute a real threat to hunting -
especially bowhunting. Deer birth control was concocted by the animal
rights movement, which sees it as a way to eliminate hunting in the long
term. In the short term, the anti’s have focused their energies on
urban deer management. Their campaign appears to be working. Deer overpopulation has been, and continues to be, a growing
problem in metropolitan parks and other urban areas. When park managers
announce controlled hunts, the anti’s respond with a storm of
publicity, stoking the public’s unfounded concerns over safety and
cruelty to deer. Local officials quickly buckle to the pressure, and
look for other solutions. The anti’s, of course, then offer deer birth
control or sterilization as "humane" options. In the past, state wildlife agencies would not issue permits
for such projects, but public pressure from large urban centers has
resulted in a surprising number of approvals during the past decade. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance recently conducted a survey
of the fifty state wildlife agencies on the subject. The results were
alarming. Eighteen deer birth control projects have been completed or
are underway in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and
Wisconsin. In 2000, Rutgers University reported that birth control
projects are inefficient and expensive. State wildlife agency
information reinforces those findings. Statistics show that only 513 deer were treated during the
studies. The cost was $1,509,739 – an average of $2,943 per deer! Aside from the inflated cost, many of the projects simply did
not work. Connecticut, Minnesota and Ohio all reported continued growth
of deer numbers in the targeted areas. Conversely, hunters continue to provide the most effective
deer control. Bowhunters have been effective in urban situations. Of greater concern than the effectiveness of the treatments
is the safety of the birth control drugs. Regardless of their
effectiveness, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved
them for human consumption. The U.S. government would not tolerate such
an experiment with livestock. There have been no findings to ensure that
other wildlife species are not adversely affected. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is crafting model legislation that will require that these health concerns be addressed before permits for future projects can be issued. We will be working with the bowhunting community and state wildlife officials to refine the language in preparation for bill introductions in state legislatures around the nation. For more information, contact the Alliance at (614) 888-4868. CopyrightÓ U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance- www.ussportsmen.org
|
|
|
|
|
