Loch Raven Area Becomes Test Site For Deer Spaying Experiment

Program testing non-lethal way to curb suburban deer spread financed by environmentalist's estate

In a tiny trailer parked near Loch Raven Reservoir, a 2-year-old doe draped in blue surgical cloth sleeps on her back as a veterinarian opens her belly. Less than an hour later, the deer is stepping back into the safety of the woods, the latest patient in an experiment in wildlife management that doesn't involve arrows or bullets.

In all, 32 does are sporting surgical staples where white fur used to be and tags in their ears marking them as the initial group in a three-year research project to see if spaying can help keep the suburban deer population in check. It is the first experiment of its type in Maryland and one of just a handful being carried out in the country.

Over seven days earlier this month, a small team of professionals and volunteers tranquilized, captured and removed the ovaries of does to ensure they can no longer add to a growing population that has upset the watershed ecosystem.
GO HERE to read more and see video.