Sunday, September 24, 2017

More Deer


More Deer

I saw another deer, well, three actually. This time they were healthy and strong unlike the poor deer that wandered into my backyard last time. They ambled about hardly paying any attention to the humans mesmerized by their presence. I wondered what they were finding to eat. Did they like the tiny Rose of Sharon bushes that were trying to get started at the foot of the maple tree? Were they munching on the wild strawberry plants that tend to spread wherever they can?

They wandered through the hedges into one neighbor’s yard, then moved to another. Then they moved on, to where I don’t know. I think it was to the woods a couple of blocks away behind the elementary school. But to get there, they would have to cross a busy road and several streets. Surely someone must see them on the way.  I try to be on the lookout for wandering deer but they always pop up as a surprise.

Perhaps it’s time to put up a deer crossing sign next to the school crossing sign. I want to protect any being, human or otherwise. But deer overpopulation is becoming a problem. The New York Times reported on Saturday that New York City's Department of Parks and Recreation has a deer sterilization program in the works in Staten Island. Will that take care of the problem? It takes time and will the deer population continue to grow in the interim? Here are some things to think about in this regard, researched by Koryos: http://www.koryoswrites.com/nonfiction/white-tailed-deer-overpopulation-in-the-united-states/ 

Have any thoughts on the issue?