Hole in the Wall
'Bambi' Not a Documentary
RECEIVED Wed., Aug. 24, 2005
Dear Editor,
Re: Amy Quartermain's “Postmark” Aug. 19: Did you see Bambi one too many times or run out of your medication? "Inconsequential" who "screwed the ecosystem"? Yes, development has taken a lot of deer habitat but it doesn't stop them from raiding gardens and landscaping plants around town. Stop and think about why the deer population has multiplied by 10 (or a hundred in some areas).
How about a hint. Heard of any bear attacks in the area recently? Any news of wolf-bitten people admitted to Seton? No? Maybe because humans have eradicated all but a tiny percentage of the deer's natural predators in our area. The food chain is missing more than 90% of an entire vital link. But, as you so cleverly observed, "Speeding cars and stress" seem to be balancing everything out. I, for one, have never seen a deer die or dying due to stress, but I have been present at a few deer/vehicle accidents. Not pretty, not humane, and certainly not an effective method of population control. Deer kill more humans than any other animal here in the U.S.! Deer also cannot discriminate between people obeying limits and those "speeding.” Overpopulation also can and has caused mass starvation from time to time. If you had to die, would you choose: 1) being hit by a vehicle with no chance for medical treatment (yeah, some don't die for days); 2) slowly wasting away till you were too tired to even fend off the fire ants; or 3) an assassin's (hopefully) well-aimed bullet? As a bonus, parts of your body (on the last option only) would be used to feed and possibly provide home furnishings for hungry humans. Well, which one, Amy?
Re: Amy Quartermain's “Postmark” Aug. 19: Did you see Bambi one too many times or run out of your medication? "Inconsequential" who "screwed the ecosystem"? Yes, development has taken a lot of deer habitat but it doesn't stop them from raiding gardens and landscaping plants around town. Stop and think about why the deer population has multiplied by 10 (or a hundred in some areas).
How about a hint. Heard of any bear attacks in the area recently? Any news of wolf-bitten people admitted to Seton? No? Maybe because humans have eradicated all but a tiny percentage of the deer's natural predators in our area. The food chain is missing more than 90% of an entire vital link. But, as you so cleverly observed, "Speeding cars and stress" seem to be balancing everything out. I, for one, have never seen a deer die or dying due to stress, but I have been present at a few deer/vehicle accidents. Not pretty, not humane, and certainly not an effective method of population control. Deer kill more humans than any other animal here in the U.S.! Deer also cannot discriminate between people obeying limits and those "speeding.” Overpopulation also can and has caused mass starvation from time to time. If you had to die, would you choose: 1) being hit by a vehicle with no chance for medical treatment (yeah, some don't die for days); 2) slowly wasting away till you were too tired to even fend off the fire ants; or 3) an assassin's (hopefully) well-aimed bullet? As a bonus, parts of your body (on the last option only) would be used to feed and possibly provide home furnishings for hungry humans. Well, which one, Amy?
Steve Brownell