Lawsuit challenges plan to shoot Valley Forge deer

[soup]

http://pottsmerc.com/articles/2009/1...9230088367.txt

Two animal advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to delay a plan to shoot hundreds of deer in Valley Forge National Historical Park, west of Philadelphia.

Park officials say they want to thin a herd of nearly 1,300 deer to between 165 and 185 to protect park vegetation and to protect deer from disease.

The Connecticut-based Friends of Animals and Pennsylvania-based Compassion for Animals, Respect for the Environment filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court, saying the National Park Service violated federal environmental law by not fully considering alternatives, like using coyotes, to thin the herd.

Park officials have defended the plan.

The University of Denver law school's Environmental Law Clinic is representing the animal groups.

Yeah... because Coyotes are the answer.

[ChamberedRound]

Oh yea, let's introduce an invasive species to the park just so that we don't have the big, bad men with their guns walking around. What a bunch of idiots. If I were a deer, I'd rather die from a clean rifle/slug kill than get mauled by a coyote.

[FormerUser123]

Oh yea, let's introduce an invasive species to the park just so that we don't have the big, bad men with their guns walking around. What a bunch of idiots. If I were a deer, I'd rather die from a clean rifle/slug kill than get mauled by a coyote.

+1 I'd much rather be shot than eaten alive/mauled to death.

But there are already Coyotes native to the area, I saw one get grenaded by a Semi on Route 41 a couple months ago... That was quite the display...

Also, the deer population in Valley Forge is ridiculous. My friend was driving me through there a couple weeks ago at like 4:30 in the afternoon and there were whole groups of deer standing right next to Route 23. I was wishing I'd had my K98 lol

[t1m0thy]

how about move them to areas that are overhunted?

[ehidle]

The deer at valley forge are just pathetic looking. They're all skinny as hell, starving to death, and nothing grows below 6 feet AGL. Something needs to be done to reduce their population.

[FormerUser123]

how about move them to areas that are overhunted?

That's actually a great idea. I know the areas around Centre County are pretty well over hunted. I bet the deer would be happy as hell up there.

[adymond]

WTF? How does a group from CT have any standing to bring a suit?

[ehidle]

WTF? How does a group from CT have any standing to bring a suit?

National Park maybe?

[PisnNapalm]

Send the deer to CT and see how much they like slamming into them with their cars.

[Kb! Bob]

I hope they win the suit, coyotes are released, and during the victory celebration a coyote eats their babies. Poetic justice, just sayin'.