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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSimon, L DEIS.pdf Mary Mills From: Laura Simon [Isimon@humanesociety.org] Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2010 1:41 PM To: Kate Supron; Robert Andolina; Christopher Crocker; Stephen Hamilton; Elizabeth Karns; Diana Riesman; Beatrice Szekely; Mary Mills Subject: Humane Society of the US letter re: proposed deer management plan Attaachhm�ents: � letter_to_mayor_supron_of_Cayuga_Heights.pdf; Ostfeld_2011_Lyme.pdf LJ I_J letter-to-mayo Ostfeld_2011- supron-of_Cayuyme.pdf(5 MB; Dear Mayor Supron and Village Trustees, I have enclosed a letter outlining the HSUS's concerns with the proposed deer management plan. The HSUS would like to assist your efforts in creating a solid, effective and humane deer problem mitigation program as we have much expertise to offer. Please see the attached! Cheers, Laura Simon Field Director, Urban Wildlife Program lsimon@humanesociety.org <maiito:lsimon@humanesociety.org> t 203.393.1050 c 203.314 .3361 The Humane Society of the United States CT Field Office - PO Box 3665 Amity Station- Woodbridge CT 06525 humanesociety.org <https://webmail.hsus.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http: //www.humanesociety.org> <https://webmail.hsus.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http: //twitter.com/HumaneSociety> 1 THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES aPwcEns nmlaW[wla Esu. rwaCranre ,+ 1r ,, n M :.,".„. Dec 8, 2010 vxe CLd,nl c4n ewl uaue,tsswar:,ekv .-wernwaR. Wd),r Pa',Hlt ^r Ms. Kate Supron, Mayor L`h:ru VAEx': NB-r, Village Offices ecge:A rodl,r.Ei9 w rod:..as ao 836 Hanshaw Road !3H 9.r,ke Ithaca,New York 14850 r;'�rvrnrmr.. Dear Mayor Supron and Cayuga Heights Village Trustees, naPE na nnBsroBxrs I:anrc,i I am writing on behalf of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), a national ^A <r^ organization with over 800,000 New York members,to express our strong opposition to V£:ivaA rnl:a:,. e ' the use of net and bolt to kill wild deer, and to question assumptions pertaining to the ^.hTa:Y,s lethal control aspects of the proposed deer management plan. At the same time,the HSUS commends the Village for its forward thinking in including sterilization as a vital ram- m component of the plan. +.Niy xarad 2:nllmoaricn'.tfin'A "t The use of captive bolt for killing wild deer � Lwlher L xanry ura:l isu,mm fxIIt5C d.cayunm Captive bolt guns were designed for use on domestic animals in highly structured and controlled environments. The HSUS does not believe that net and bolt methodology can be used correctly and consistently enough in field settings to provide for the humane arum;;arPrrr�:erge;un capture, restraint and killing of deer. A deer caught in netting panics and thrashes rx M,v.W 1,, around, reacting not only to the restraint, but also to the perception of other impending threats to his safety such as approach and handling by people. Gorvwrv?N/a:. hnlzs(.Pap,PM1.II.,:PdA Mayan PPsov,:eJ3 Ei:.rarun wn,:ams �;rIM1rB:p:,E As stated by the American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines on Euthanasia w«e (June 2007), "Adequate restraint is important to ensure proper placement of the captive bolt. A cerebral hemisphere and the brainstem must be sufficiently disrupted by the wnBcroBs projectile to induce sudden loss of consciousness and subsequent death." The AVMA points to those few contexts where penetrating bolt guns can provide euthanasia, if bm_Ber A.Br:Cr n I[u.. aar properly used and maintained—as being"in slaughterhouses, in research facilities, and on tw:a S Br Bral u„aW Cw,.. s the farm when use of drugs is inappropriate."These conditions cannot be met in field nni B,va Ecl,r,PA. L ^ settings with free-ranging deer when so many variables occur with restraint and handling. I,1aIIn,LIB ,M :pRcl'.""'" Accordingly, we cannot condone this procedure as humane. Il+v:ryhrl h WMsn C!dmam': Paurk L V(:F.fFY LSM,B 1 Lyme disease and hunting p^x:a,':ce Pains rdtlp 1.rtl Killing deer will also not reduce incidence of human cases of Lyme disease, as Hv:rtwrl I":I: We�M E,, demonstrated by an interview with a leading researcher in the Harvard Newsletter ,.t,�.„,. . http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/features/kiling-deer-not-answer- >"Creril'limSrPn. .=:W,,,-,11a reducing-Ivme-disease.html and by the new authoritative text, Lyme Disease: the Ecology of a Complex System (2011), which points out how assumptions that reducing deer will significantly reduce the black-legged tick (see attached chapter) are fatally flawed. The fact that the tick is carried by over 125 hosts, plus dozens of scientific studies, all underscore the futility of trying to control the disease by reducing numbers of one host. Health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization don't recommend hunting to reduce the incidence of Lyme disease for the simple reason that it doesn't work. Deer-car collisions It seems counter-intuitive, but reducing the deer population won't necessarily result in fewer deer car collisions. For example, a county-wide study was conducted by the Virginia Department of Transportation to determine which factors are correlated with deer-vehicle collisions. The logistic regression indicated that deer density was either a non-significant factor or that deer/vehicle collisions were actually lower in areas of higher deer density. The conclusion was that"there is little evidence that increased deer harvest reduced deer/vehicle collisions (McShea et al, 2008,Human-Wildlife Conflicts 2: 110- 121). "These kinds of data reflect the complexity of deer related problems and the need to make sure the remedy actually addresses the problem. In closing, the HSUS applauds the city of Cayuga Heights for its progressive inclusion of deer sterilization in the proposed deer management plan. However, we strongly urge you to reject outright the use of net and bolt as a means of killing wild deer, as it is wholly inappropriate. The HSUS also encourages the city to reconsider the use of any lethal control in its proposed deer management plan. Sincerely, a'aunadltix.e-,J Laura Simon Field Director,Urban Wildlife Program (203)-389-4411 Mary Mills From: Laura Simon [Isimon@humanesociety.org] Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2010 1:41 PM To: Kate Supron; Robert Andolina; Christopher Crocker; Stephen Hamilton; Elizabeth Karns; Diana Riesman; Beatrice Szekely; Mary Mills Subject: Humane Society of the US letter re: proposed deer management plan Attachments: letter_to_mayor_supron_of_Cayuga_Heights.pdf; Ostfeld_2011_Lyme.pdf IfJ letter_ta_mayo Ostfeld_2011_ >upron_of_Cayuyme.lxf(5 MB' Dear Mayor Supron and Village Trustees, I have enclosed a letter outlining the HSUS's concerns with the proposed deer management plan. The HSUS would like to assist your efforts in creating a solid, effective and humane deer problem mitigation program as we have much expertise to offer. Please see the attached! Cheers, Laura Simon Field Director, Urban Wildlife Program lsimon@humanesociety.org <mailto:lsimon@humanesociety.org> t 203.393.1050 c 203. 314.3361 The Humane Society of the United States CT Field Office - PO Box 3665 Amity Station- Woodbridge CT 06525 humanesociety.org <https://webmail.hsus.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.humanesociety.org> <https://webmail.hsus.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://twitter.com/HumaneSociety> 1 Af THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES iT 3 Dec 8, 2010 1,,y Sill".1n Ms. Kate Supron, Mayor F.,A Village Offices 1'.1cc 836 Hanshaw Road Ithaca,New York 14850 Dear Mayor Supron and Cayuga Heights Village Trustees, STAFF Via FRESIM" I am writing on behalf of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), a national organization with over 800,000 New York members,to express our strong opposition to lri,lim A'�il. the use of net and bolt to kill wild deer, and to question assumptions pertaining to the lethal control aspects of the proposed deer management plan. At the same time,the HSUS commends the Village for its forward thinking in including sterilization as a vital component of the plan. cart Bmre The use of captive bolt for killing wild deer W1,W W", cll�zl."Wl Captive bolt guns were designed for use on domestic animals in highly structured and controlled environments. The HSUS does not believe that net and bolt methodology can F .1111 settings to provide for the humane be used correctly and consistently enough in field se capture, restraint and killing of deer. A deer caught in netting panics and thrashes ip m,r Wi around, reacting not only to the restraint, but also to the perception of other impending lx � threats to his safety such as approach and handling by people. W4 V,.5�S� bin Eq As stated by the American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines on Euthanasia (June 2007), "Adequate restraint is important to ensure proper placement of the captive '01"',L A bolt. A cerebral hemisphere and the brainstern must be sufficiently disrupted by the gRECiORS projectile to induce sudden loss of consciousness and subsequent death." The AVMA points to those few contexts where penetrating bolt guns can provide euthanasia, if properly used and maintained—as being"in slaughterhouses, in research facilities, and on WNii,i S.BrixL AQU wNC, .E. the farm when use of drugs is inappropriate." These conditions cannot be met in field settings with free-ranging deer when so many variables occur with restraint and handling. Accordingly, we cannot condone this procedure as humane. IMP; L.� i 110.11 Lyme disease and hunting 4011 Killing deer will also not reduce incidence of human cases of Lyme disease, as demonstrated by an interview with a leading researcher in the Harvard Newsletter http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/features/kiling-deer-not-answer- reducing-lyme-disease.html and by the new authoritative text, Lyme Disease: the Ecology of a Complex System (2011), which points out how assumptions that reducing deer will significantly reduce the black-legged tick(see attached chapter) are fatally flawed. The fact that the tick is carried by over 125 hosts, plus dozens of scientific studies, all underscore the futility of trying to control the disease by reducing numbers of one host. Health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization don't recommend hunting to reduce the incidence of Lyme disease for the simple reason that it doesn't work. Deer-car collisions It seems counter-intuitive, but reducing the deer population won't necessarily result in fewer deer car collisions. For example, a county-wide study was conducted by the Virginia Department of Transportation to determine which factors are correlated with deer-vehicle collisions. The logistic regression indicated that deer density was either a non-significant factor or that deer/vehicle collisions were actually lower in areas of higher deer density. The conclusion was that "there is little evidence that increased deer harvest reduced deer/vehicle collisions (McShea et al, 2008,Human-Wildlife Conflicts 2: 110- 121). "These kinds of data reflect the complexity of deer related problems and the need to make sure the remedy actually addresses the problem. In closing, the HSUS applauds the city of Cayuga Heights for its progressive inclusion of deer sterilization in the proposed deer management plan. However, we strongly urge you to reject outright the use of net and bolt as a means of killing wild deer, as it is wholly inappropriate. The HSUS also encourages the city to reconsider the use of any lethal control in its proposed deer management plan. Sincerely, p�'ctcn�cdlrnz.exJ Laura Simon Field Director, Urban Wildlife Program (203)-389-4411