Deer kill planned for western Pa. government campus 02-02-2007 By DAN NEPHIN Associated Press Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) A federal agency will kill about 200 deer at a government campus that the Pennsylvania Game Commission said is overpopulated with starving and diseased deer a situation partially brought about by post-9/11 security measures.
Agents from the United States Department of Agriculture will shoot the deer within the next few weeks, said Harris Glass, state director of the USDA's wildlife services in Pennsylvania.
The 237-acre site about 12 miles south of Pittsburgh houses the Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory and offices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
Before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, gaps in the facility's fencing had allowed the animals to move in and out, said Samara Trusso, a wildlife management supervisor for the Game Commission. But repairs afterward reduced deer movement and their population increased far above the recommended densities by Game Commission officials.
``We never had this problem occur prior to this century,'' Bob Reuther, a Department of Energy spokesman, said Friday.
The department had about 50 to 60 deer killed at a 140-acre facility in Morgantown, W.Va., last year for the same reason, he said.
Two surveys found about 200 deer at the Pennsylvania campus, Trusso said. Only about 65 acres on the campus are suitable for deer enough to support two to four healthy deer but even that habitat has degraded, she said.
Glass and Trusso said the deer are starved and diseased, but keep breeding.
``Basically, they've asked us to remove everything,'' Glass said. ``You look at the deer and you'll understand.''
Employees have been feeding the deer either for enjoyment or because they recognize the animals are unhealthy, which added to the problems, Trusso said Friday.
The Game Commission discourages people from feeding wildlife. Doing so can concentrate animals, making it possible for disease to spread more easily.
``In the short time, it absolutely can keep the deer just healthy enough to continue to breed at their regular levels,'' exacerbating the overpopulation problem, she said.
People often feed wildlife inappropriate food, leading to malnourishment, she said.
``If you and I eat popcorn every day, eventually, we would start to show signs of malnourishment,'' she said.
Feeding corn, a popular item, is particularly bad because deer, like cows, are ruminants, and have stomachs with multiple chambers for digestion, she said. Microbes inside aid digestion, but too much corn can kill the microbes, she said.
Game Commission staff found the carcass of one deer that died of starvation, but had a stomach full of corn, she said.
Typically, Glass said, a team consisting of a sharpshooter, a driver and a person using night vision and heat-detecting equipment will humanely euthanize the deer at night, when few people are around. Only trained USDA employees are used, he said.
Hunters could not be used because of security concerns.
``It needs to be a very controlled situation,'' Glass said. ``It's not hunting. It's a tool.''