Both sides agree!

It is starting already. Nobody is pleased with the deer killing plan recently approved by Kristen Linfante, Steve Silverman, and Dave Brumfield. Both sides of the deer management controversy are agreeing that the plan which will begin on February 1, 2015 is a bad one.

For years, the Trib's Colin McNickle has been quite vocal over his distain with the deer in Mt. Lebanon. In Pittsburgh Laurels & Lances:

An observation: Years of dickering and dithering over culling Mt. Lebanon's exploding deer population has led to a plan to corral and shoot deer by a conflicted contractor (a consultant for the municipality turned culler who never has used the methodology) and at a cost to taxpayers of $500 per deer (up to $75,000). The cull will bow next week. But had Mt. Lebanon run a consistent program over the years, using local licensed hunters, it would have cost virtually nothing.

Laura Simon, wildlife biologist at The Humane Society of the United States, has submitted another opinion piece to The Almanac this week, Killing deer won’t resolve Mt. Lebanon’s issues. Her last submission got the pro-kill ladies in a tizzy at the last commission meeting.

Mt. Lebanon’s deer killing plan is a huge mistake. There’s good reason other communities aren’t using corrals to entrap deer and then trying to shoot them point-blank. 

First, this method is inefficient. Few deer will even come into the corrals. By virtue of being located in “safe” park areas, those deer who are trapped won’t even be the same ones bothering people in the residential areas. 

Second, this new plan is a total waste of taxpayer money. Deer numbers will quickly pop up again as new deer move into the area and more fawns are born. It’s a phenomenon called “compensatory reproduction,” which means that when deer have better nutrition, they breed at a younger age and have higher fawn survival. The net result is a population surge after a hunting decline. 

Third, this plan is inhumane. When the corral gate shuts, the deer will panic and slam into the fencing. The result will be broken legs and necks. If the city goes ahead with this misguided plan, we highly encourage residents to demand that an objective observer or the press be allowed to see this spectacle. 

Fourth, the $500 per deer could have been more wisely spent on a sterilization project, which would have cost a bit more, yet actually lowered the population. 

Fifth, it is worth questioning the safety of any plan in which deer are shot, night and day, with rifles in areas so close to human dwellings. 

Finally, we question what appears to be a real conflict of interest in this case. The company that received the contract to kill deer is the same company that’s been paid to advise Mt. Lebanon officials. 

The Humane Society of the United States urges Mt. Lebanon to show true leadership and invest in an innovative, effective, humane and long-term solution. That is, one that utilizes deer-resistant gardening strategies, state-of-the-art fertility control options and successful collision reduction strategies already in operation elsewhere. 

Overall, the city’s decision to allow deer to be corralled and shot is inhumane, reckless and doomed to fail. Let’s hope community leaders have the good sense to call it off. 

Laura Simon
Wildlife Biologist at The Humane Society of the United States

Shooting deer won't solve the problem

Laura Simon, wildlife ecologist with The Humane Society of the United States, spent two days in Mt. Lebanon last June and was one of the experts who spoke at the June 10, 2014 deer forum.

Ms. Simon submitted a Letter to the Editor to the PG which appears in today's newspaper. Shooting deer won't solve the problem

January 23, 2015 12:00 AM 

Although an archery deer kill was called off recently, Mt. Lebanon’s decision to pursue other lethal options is a big mistake. Simply put, killing deer won’t resolve Mt. Lebanon’s deer issues, but it will waste taxpayer dollars and result in an endless cycle of killing. 

As long as the community maintains dozens of floral islands that entice deer onto the streets and as long as residents don’t utilize preventative gardening strategies, the problems will continue. Killed deer will be soon replaced by those wandering in from the surrounding deer-rich habitat. 

Deer confound efforts to control their numbers in other ways. Where they’re hunted, deer numbers bounce back. When deer have better nutrition, they breed at a younger age and have higher fawn survival. The net result is a population surge after any hunting decline. 

And, as science shows us, killing some deer won’t reduce human risk of Lyme disease — there are too many hosts that the tick will take advantage of. Nor is it assured that deer-car collisions will lessen once some deer are removed. 

The deer-killing methods to be used are understandably controversial: Bow-hunting incurs a high crippling rate, and it’s hard to fire a metal bolt into the brain of a struggling deer with enough precision to ensure a humane death. 

The Humane Society of the United States urges the Mt. Lebanon community to show true leadership and invest in an innovative, effective, humane and long-term solution. That is, one that utilizes deer-resistant gardening strategies, state-of-the-art fertility control options and successful collision reduction strategies already in operation elsewhere.


Laura Simon
Wildlife ecologist
The Humane Society of the United States
Washington, D.C.

My commissioner is pushing deer culling again

According to the Commission Discussion Session agenda for September 24, 2012, the Commissioners are placing a conference call at 6:30 PM to Laura Simon regarding deer options. Ms. Simon, a nationally renowned wildlife expert from the Humane Society of the United States, will address issues related to the humane management of urban deer populations. One half hour is allocated on the agenda for this phone call. I see that she will be meeting with folks in Austin, Texas on Thursday. National expert to discuss humane management of urban wildlife

Unfortunately, my commissioner has sent out an email to her deer culling advocates, urging them to contact their commissioners to have another deer culling for 2013. At several meetings, Kristen Linfante has admitted that she is the lone wolf on this topic. Even past president, Dan Miller, has expressed his concern with deer culling in Mt. Lebanon. Commissioner Kelly Fraasch has this to say about deer culling in Mt. Lebanon in her blog post Position on Deer Culling.

I am very disappointed with my commissioner for advocating another deer culling, without listening to what an expert has to say on the topic, let alone what Dan Miller experienced in his ward while commissioner.