So what has come about is the Clifton Deer Program, a pilot project at the Cincinnati Park Board’s Mt. Storm, Rawson Woods Preserve and Edgewood Grove parks, located in Clifton. A well-organized group got together and approached the park board and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife for a permit to sterilize, not euthanize, female whitetails. On May 11of this year, ODNR issued a three-year research permit, allowing the sterilization of up to 100 does.
So at the beginning of this month, a group called White Buffalo, Inc. came in with its veterinary staff, darted and captured 44 deer. Of those, three turned out to be button bucks that were released and the remaining 41 were brought to a field facility for rapid surgical procedures called ovariectomies and tubal ligectomies, pretty much like spaying a dog or cat.
Following the 20-minute procedures, the deer were taken back to the areas where they were captured. They were revived and sent on their way. Two of the does died and 39 survived.
White Buffalo, led by Dr. Anthony DeNicola, says this method is now preferred over contraceptives because it only stresses the animal one time. Administering contraceptives by needle has to be performed at least twice during a doe’s life to be effective. And with the same reasoning, the surgical method is less expensive in the long run.
The Division of Wildlife’s Todd Haines, manager for District 5 (southwest Ohio), said no money from ODNR is being used by the Clifton project, which has been funded mostly through donations of Clifton citizens and a grant from the controversial Humane Society of the United States.
“This project is for a very restricted area within Cincinnati’s park system,” Haines said. “It is not something being considered for the general population of deer and none of the funds contributed by sportsmen are being used.”
Haynes said that while the promotion of hunting is a key mission for the division, so is wildlife preservation and conservation, so he said he didn’t see any conflict with issuing the research permit for a limited number of deer in a restricted area.
Brett Beatty, wildlife supervisor for the district, who observed the entire process, including the actual surgery, said he feels it’s important for the division to be involved.
“It is important to have everybody understand all the tools available to help manage urban deer,” Beatty said. “Some parks and other urban environments present unique situations.”
He said the entire operation was conducted in a professional manner. The deer were well handled and the surgical teams were experienced veterinary surgeons.
White Buffalo, Inc., a “well-oiled machine,” according to Beatty, was established in 1996. It has handled overpopulations of deer herds in other small communities by the use of sharpshooting, contraception and surgeries.
“We are a group that is interested in managing the problem of high urban deer densities,” DeNicola said. “We are not anti-hunting. In fact, I have trained hunters and include sharpshooting as one of our options.”
For more information, visit whitebuffaloinc.org and cliftondeer.org.
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