Friday, June 19, 2009

KANSAS NEWS: Controlled Hunt Approved for Shawnee Mission Park

SHAWNEE, KS - A controversial plan to kill deer at Shawnee Mission Park got a thumbs-up on Wednesday night, as officials say the deer population has exploded to nearly seven times the normal rate at the suburban park.

According to officials, the deer are overrunning the park, with the population estimated at 200 per square mile. Since there are no natural predators for the deer in the park, officials say that disease or starvation could wipe out the entire herd unless the population is thinned.

"Because there is no natural predator, and our biodiversity policy address this very clearly, we must intervene and we must try to replicate the role mother nature has played before when there was a perfect balance, that balance no longer exists," said Johnson County Parks and Recreation director Michael Meadors.

The plan calls for sharp shooters, made up of park police and other law enforcement agencies, to thin the deer herd. The sharp shooters would likely head out in the Fall.

Source: Fox4kc

1 comment:

legraden said...

So let me understand, Hunting by fancy sharpshooters is going to be when it is dark which is not fair to the deer and puts them at a disadvantage. And silencers. Please. this is just cruel....