Dec 7, 2007 3:47 pm US/Eastern
Goucher Students Protest Deer Killings
TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) ―
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Goucher College plans to kill some deer near the school.
AP
Goucher College loves its deer. So why is the school bringing in hunters to kill 50 of the animals over the holiday break?
Alex DeMetrick reports it all comes down to the numbers on Goucher's campus in Towson.
Too many deer, too little space.
Not only winter is tough on the deer at Goucher Colleges in Towson. Long before the snow fell, students could see firsthand what lack of food was doing.
"Sick and thin. They look damaged, for lack of a better word," said Goucher student Michael Harmon.
At least 200 deer have left lines on trees through campus. Tracks lead out of the college's woods, which will soon be open to hunters.
"We will bring in a crew of bow hunters, who will be hunting from trees, to thin the herd," said Kristen Keener, Goucher College spokesperson.
Fifty deer will be killed once classes adjourn for the holiday break. Students, who view the deer as part of Goucher's charm, are torn over the hunt.
Some students on campus would like to see contraceptives delivered by darts. But first experts have to tranquilize and tag the deer to keep track of which animal gets the yearly shot.
The 50 deer that will be killed probably won't be the last. Biologists say the campus can only support a herd of 40 and the college has begun the paperwork to bring in sharpshooters next winter.
It's not just the condition of the deer prompting the hunt. The college says five students have contracted Lyme disease, which is spread by deer ticks.
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