CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) - Maryland has become the first state to approve the use of Gonacon, a deer birth control product, but the state's director of wildlife said Friday he can't imagine it ever being used in what he termed the open landscape.
"This is the only immuno-contraceptive for deer that has federal approval," said Paul Peditto, director of the Wildlife and Heritage Service. "It was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency.
"We feel good about being the first jurisdiction to approve its use," Peditto said. "It shows we have an open mind, but is not a magic bullet for deer control. It is an option in very limited circumstances and will have virtually no consequence in terms of day-to-day deer management and deer hunting. It won't be used in 98 percent of the state."
Peditto said the manpower and expense of applying the birth control chemical will limit its use.
"It will cost up to $1,000 to apply it to a deer," Peditto said. The deer must first be shot via dart gun to tranquilize it before Gonacon can be injected. EPA requires that the deer be tagged so that it can be identified as having been treated. Another tag will state that the meat of the animal should not be consumed by humans.
"It works on 80 percent of the deer that are injected," Peditto said. "The following year, however, half of those injected deer will become pregnant unless hand-injected a second time."
Peditto said authority to sedate, inject and tag deer won't simply be turned over to a home owners association and its maintenance crew.
Applicators must jump through several hoops, including registration, testing and association with a licensed veterinarian.
More
"We feel good about being the first jurisdiction to approve its use," Peditto said. "It shows we have an open mind, but is not a magic bullet for deer control. It is an option in very limited circumstances and will have virtually no consequence in terms of day-to-day deer management and deer hunting. It won't be used in 98 percent of the state."
Peditto said the manpower and expense of applying the birth control chemical will limit its use.
"It will cost up to $1,000 to apply it to a deer," Peditto said. The deer must first be shot via dart gun to tranquilize it before Gonacon can be injected. EPA requires that the deer be tagged so that it can be identified as having been treated. Another tag will state that the meat of the animal should not be consumed by humans.
"It works on 80 percent of the deer that are injected," Peditto said. "The following year, however, half of those injected deer will become pregnant unless hand-injected a second time."
Peditto said authority to sedate, inject and tag deer won't simply be turned over to a home owners association and its maintenance crew.
Applicators must jump through several hoops, including registration, testing and association with a licensed veterinarian.
More
8 comments:
It's a lot cheaper and easier to just shoot them.
I cant afford to put ashley on birth control so she is pushing out her 5th tax burden of a kid but we can put deer on birth control???
Okay, the animal rights nazies have made it difficult to legally hunt deer, so now the deer population has exploded and now we want to use contraception on them?
What kind of stupidity is this?
Let the hunters harvest the deer!
This makes about as much sense as passing out condoms to the bucks.
When with the Dumbocrat come out with planned parenthood and deer abortions
This is one of the most stupid things I've heard in a long time!
Lengthen the deer season for hunters!
I don't hunt and don't know anybody who does but we all know with human birth control, there are side effects, possibly deadly.
So we get a bad batch of this birth control and deer start dying or start getting diseases and it spreads like wildfire.
Then what do we have, an animal population headed for the extinct list?
Let the hunters shoot them and eat the meat. We're atleast then feeding people!
What a waste of money. Stupid!
Great plan... they should test it out all up and down Church Street in Salisbury
Post a Comment