After two months of intense controversy, protests and litigation, the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan has concluded its first deer cull across 14 of the city’s parks. In addition to this initial cull, the city is planning annual culls as part of a four-year deer management program.
Officials reported that 63 deer were killed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s shooters. These sharpshooters had instructions to kill up to 100 deer as part of this cull as the city aims at removing deer and decreasing negative deer-human interactions.
As any of us can imagine, deer culls such as this one come before large opposition and those opponents have stated that they are going to attempt to force a public vote on a city charter amendment in November to hopefully prohibit future culls in the city.
City officials stated that more than 1,000 pounds of venison from the cull was donated to Food Gatherers to feed the hungry.
