photo of a deer outside of Irvington Town Hall, from Irvingtongreen.org
Animal Defenders of Westchester (ADOW) is urging the Village of Irvington to avoid a proposed deer slaughter, in favor of humane, non-lethal considerations.
The village of Irvington in Westchester County is proposing a bow hunt for deer ‘control,’ amid complaints that deer are ‘eating their plants, harming the forest,’ etc. Local press has thus far relied on clickbait,
fear mongering coverage of this issue, one alarmingly titled, Citizens rise up against deer population. It cites a resident ridiculously fearful that the deer ‘stare at her.’ Another boasted about ‘deliberately hitting five deer with his car, leaving them to suffer a painful death in the woods,’ while others laughed.
Sources say Irvington has thus far chosen extremely inaccurate, cruel bow-hunting as the ‘overwhelmingly preferred control,’ wrongly asserting that birth control is ‘illegal.’ Deer contraception has been used since the 1970’s; but the hunter-only staffed NYSDEC/Wildlife Services is always eager to oblige a pro-slaughter agenda.
Some residents are worried about the ‘well-being’ of the forest; but this ‘concern’ was absent when they were chopping down its trees to make their houses and buildings –nor will they hesitate when they want to build more houses etc, while also destroying more animals’ habitats as well.The fact is, every time Irvington residents use any paper products, they themselves are destroying the forest. This lovely, bucolic ‘welcoming’ neighborhood shouldn’t revert to Stone Age slaughter when it comes to their animal neighbors, but instead needs to incorporate humane methods of community, such as fencing, birth control and floral deterrent plants.
According to State Farm statistics, the number one cause of all car accidents is speeding and distracted driving. To avoid collisions they recommend slowing down for better reaction time, scanning the road, using high beams when possible, using your horn and watching roads around wooded lots, adding deer crossing signs etc.
Several articles have made the case that hunting actually increases the deer population – and that hunting causes higher deer birth rates and the phenomenon called ‘Twinning.’ (1) A number of towns in Easter L.I. pulled out of a ‘kill’ contract with Wildlife Services due to the controversy and the expense, with Easthampton moving forward with a surgical sterilization program instead. (2) (HSUS attachment #1) U.S. scientists have also discovered that high deer populations produce a richer soil, increasing the number of amphibians and beneficial plants (Journal of Wildlife Mgmt – attachment #2)
Kiley Blackman, ADOW founder, said, “A local resident reached out to us for help to stop a proposed deer slaughter there. We contacted Irvington Mayor Jon Siegel, requesting a meeting, saying, ‘Please kindly include us in the next work session regarding your proposed deer cull. Irvington boasts of being welcoming – citizens with such deep consideration for humankind need to include the wildlife neighbors they’ve displaced, and afford them the same decency. The cruel slaughter of these animals – in particular inflicting the extreme suffering of bow hunting – can and should be avoided, especially when humane, decent alternatives are readily available. Let us all use our intelligence to ensure a better avenue of endeavor.’ Mayor Siegel’s response was so rude we had to file a complaint.
“The world is changing: Cities are building wildlife crossings to prevent collisions and save animals, we recognize animal sentience, studies show the benefit of being in nature and the value of the natural world…with a wealth of information to make humane choices from. There’s so much discord in the world now; let Irvington be a model of compassionate and peaceful coexistence which will benefit everyone and make them a truly welcoming and respectful community for all.”
