"...how many people are going to get killed?” Wow! Talk about fear mongering! That is what Kristen was quoted as saying in the Trib's Mt. Lebanon consultant says sterilization, culling should go in tandem to control deer population
Kristen Linfante wants to have deer culling as a line item in the budget. That translates to a tax increase, Folks. Estimates of $125,000 spent annually on deer culling is realistic, considering deer culling can cost up to $500 per deer. There are no grants available for deer culling; however money is available for deer sterilization. As Matt Santoni wrote in the Trib article, neighboring communities want no part of deer culling.
This year's survey total was 196 deer. This is a decrease of 146 deer (42.6%).
Kristen Linfante wants to have deer culling as a line item in the budget. That translates to a tax increase, Folks. Estimates of $125,000 spent annually on deer culling is realistic, considering deer culling can cost up to $500 per deer. There are no grants available for deer culling; however money is available for deer sterilization. As Matt Santoni wrote in the Trib article, neighboring communities want no part of deer culling.
Fraasch said she is working with representatives from Scott, Green Tree, Castle Shannon, Baldwin Township, Whitehall and Bethel Park to create a task force that would tackle deer sterilization.Police or Animal Control received nearly 300 calls involving deer, which include neighbors calling about deer sightings, some involving the same deer going through the yards of the same neighborhood.
Mt. Lebanon's solicitor drafted a memorandum of understanding for each community's government to consider. Those that sign on can explore pooling funds or seeking grants, Fraasch said.
“This task force is not for anything but sterilization,” Fraasch said. “The other communities are not in favor of a cull; they're all too densely developed.”
Between July 1, 2013, and Sept. 17, police or animal control received nearly 300 calls involving deer, Mt. Lebanon police Deputy Chief Aaron Lauth said. Of those, 46 involved people in vehicles striking, being struck by or swerving to avoid deer; three of those resulted in injuries, Lauth said.
Yes, there were three injuries as a result of hitting or swerving to avoid hitting a deer. One of those injuries was of a child hitting a curb while on a scooter.
Are there any areas in Mt. Lebanon where the speed limit exceeds 35 mph? If the field of vision is increased by clearing brush or bushes close to the roads, as recommended by the deer consultants, collisions would be reduced even more - giving drivers more time to react to deer crossing roads. The expert brought this up during the commission discussion session. The expert also noted again that the ordinance against feeding deer also plays a key role in reducing deer populations.
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People who are pro-culling should be aware of the dangers every time a gun is fired. Bullets can ricochet, deer may not drop with one bullet and sharpshooters will continue to shoot at the deer, even if there is no safe backdrop. So the deer killed next to my house could have been running toward me and those bullets could have gone through my vinyl siding. See the red car in the photo below? There were deer killed in the area in front of the vehicle, a stone's throw away from my deck.
Lebo Citizens, do you want this to happen in your neighborhoods? How do you explain the sound of gun shots to your children? How about the sound of deer gasping for their last breaths? Do you want sharpshooters baiting your yards with apples to lure deer so that weeks later, if the sharpshooters happen to be in the neighborhood at the time deer show up to feed? The sharpshooters would be shooting at night, when deer tend to bed down and not feed on apples. Do you want the bait to bring even more deer to your yards? Consider what rotting apples do to deer's digestive systems. Think about what Kristen Linfante wants to do in Mt. Lebanon. Think about how other communities understand how dangerous it is to hunt in our densely populated neighborhoods. Is the answer to kill in large parks? Trucks need to have access to the killing fields. So baiting would be done close to roads, increasing the odds for accidents, both vehicular and fatalities.
Be careful what you wish for, Lebo Citizens. It didn't work before. Why would it work this time? Kristen Linfante asks the question, "How many people are going to get killed?" Yes, Kristen, how many people are going to get killed when we have a deer culling in our community? I pray for none, but why take the risk, Kristen?
Update September 25, 2014 9:41 PM How is this for slanted journalism? Mt. Lebanon ponders how to control deer population Harry Funk, you're a real nice guy, but you neglected to share the count from March 2014.
The aerial survey results for 2014 are here. This year's results are flawed, according to Kristen.
Update September 25, 2014 9:41 PM How is this for slanted journalism? Mt. Lebanon ponders how to control deer population Harry Funk, you're a real nice guy, but you neglected to share the count from March 2014.
A survey that Mt. Lebanon conducted in March 2013 counted 342 deer within its boundaries.The aerial survey results for 2013 are here. Last year's results were credible, according to Kristen.
The aerial survey results for 2014 are here. This year's results are flawed, according to Kristen.