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That may be the strangest article title that has ever been written for a hunting and fishing site. In essence, the tender-hearted of Ashland, Oregon, have spent years pampering and petting the local deer herd. Now that they no longer fear humans and have no reason to leave the area, residents are upset and even scared by the animals. Unable to make the deer move back to the woods, the people are calling on city officials to save them from being “terrorized” by their “peaceful neighbors.”
As the Fox News video above explains, Ashland is swarming with white-tailed deer. The deer don’t move into the city to feed in the darkness; they are full-time inhabitants, day and night. They chase humans, attack dogs, and generally run amok. They do still have a healthy respect for cars, though; the deer reportedly use the sidewalks and crosswalks to avoid being hit as they make trips around town.
Ashland is known for the annual Oregon Shakespeare Festival, held there each year since the 1930s, but with so many deer running around the city may have an increase in traffic incidents as visitors show up. Deer-vehicle collisions already occur an average of 55 times each year among the 21,000 residents.
In response to growing complaints, the city held a “deer summit” to let residents air their feelings about the matter. Fox reported that a dozen or so complained of being afraid of the deer. Wildlife officials told the city exactly what needed to be done: kill at least 50 deer each year to put the fear of man back into the once-wild animals. But that’s not an option for the Oregonians.
“Do you really want the blood of our gentle neighbors on your hands?” one woman asked at the meeting.
Fox’s reporter on the scene summed up the matter nicely: “Hippies will never allow a deer kill.”
However, they don’t mind the use of contraception or relocation for the deer. Because that always works.
-TJP
Cover Image: Thinkstock