"Like Our Home Salad Bar, Devour It"... Deer That Mobilized Special Forces Snipers

Rapid Increase in Deer Population at US Capital National Park
Police SWAT Team Mobilized for Population Control

The U.S. capital Washington D.C. is struggling with a surge in deer population. Snipers have even been deployed to reduce the number of deer.

On the 2nd (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Rock Creek Park, a 2 million-pyeong (approximately 6.6 million square meters) national park located in northwest Washington D.C., is grappling with a deer problem. This park is a flat area where dense forests and residential houses coexist, providing optimal conditions for deer habitation. Additionally, Rock Creek Park prohibits private hunting, and there are no predator animals such as wolves, making it an ideal environment for deer to breed.

Deer. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article.

The problem is that the deer population has recently surged. U.S. authorities had already given up counting the deer population in the park since the early 1990s. The overflowing deer are reported to have eaten all the young grass around and even invaded residential gardens, ruining vegetable patches. A resident near the park told WSJ, "The deer are devouring my house like a salad bar," describing the situation.

Ultimately, authorities have begun actively controlling the deer population through hunting. Snipers from the police special tactical unit have been deployed for deer hunting in some areas. The snipers use thermal imaging equipment to track the movement of deer in real time and shoot to reduce the population. Zoologist Earl Hodnett, who participated in the deer population reduction operation, told WSJ, "There were days when we caught 44 deer in one day."

A herd of deer grazing in a residential area in Washington D.C.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

However, the authorities' population control efforts have faced criticism from some environmentalists. For example, animal rights activist Carol Grunwald filed a lawsuit in federal court in 2012 to stop the U.S. authorities' deer hunting, but the court ruled in favor of the authorities. Since then, Grunwald has gathered residents who share her views to patrol the park every night to monitor if deer hunting is taking place and has held protests against deer hunting.

Meanwhile, the venison hunted in Rock Creek Park is inspected for disease infection and then processed before being donated to volunteer organizations in the Washington D.C. area. From 2013 to last year, the total weight of donated venison reached an impressive 9.5 tons.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.