According to a letter in today’s Reading Eagle from Cheryl Trewella, Information and education supervisor, southeast region of the PA Game Commission, trapping and transferring of the deer at Charles Evans Cemetery is not a viable option.
The Game Commission with the help of biologists and wildlife managers have decided that there is no workable trap-and-transfer of wild deer.
First, these are not your typical wild deer but nevertheless, they are wild. And yes they have caused damage to flowers and hedges within the cemetery. That is why Charles Evans Cemetery contacted the Game Commission.
Since the cemetery is private property, they must get a variance to have the deer killed which is issued by the Game Commission.
So it’s settled. Trapping and transfer is not a responsible act according to the Game Commission and they, by law, have the last word.
The hunt will be planned at night with sharpshooters who will wear camouflage and wear special night goggles to see the deer. The deer will be shot whether they are awake or sleeping. No one will hear the shots since they will be using silencers on the firearms. And the cemetery will open in the morning with noone being the wiser except when the public no longer sees the deer.
I feel they will probably wait until this settles down a bit first. Right now, I’m not sure what the deer are eating in the cemetery because of the snow storm we encountered this past weekend plus the new snow storm that will be arriving later this evening into tomorrow.
I hope they do give the meat to shelters to help feed the hungry so all of this will not be in vain.
I guess my only question is: Why didn’t Charles Evans Cemetery address this situation years ago when the first couple of deer appeared? They had to know they would reproduce. They allowed this to get out of control and now these deer will be losing their lives.
Pennsylvania has been overrun by deer and that is why there are hunts. But they have extended the deer hunting season from the middle of September until the end of January. That is completley unjustified to me. The herd has been and does get reduced each year. The hunting season for 2008-2009 resulted in nearly 300,000 deer being killed.
So why can these deer not be tranquilized and transferred? Notice I didn’t say trap and transfer as Cheryl mentioned in her letter to the editor. I know there is a cost but there is also a cost to kill each deer in that cemetery by sharpshooters.
But the deer in the cemetery are something special to the residents who don’t get to see wildlife in their own backyard. The deer have hurt no one and people truly enjoyed viewing them up close.
I’ll leave you with this last thought. Animal shelters have dogs and cats that lose their lives every day. Every day is a gamble to see who lives or dies. Why can’t the Game Commission tranquilize and transfer these deer? Some will not survive, they say, due to stress of moving. But some will. Why not try, at least, to save some of these lives?