The Deer Problem
by Cile Downs
In all the discussions about “the deer problem” and its several possible solutions, one thing is often left out: Nature and how it works.
In the history of the world. there always have been prey animals like deer, mice, rabbits and most birds; and there have been predator animals like wolves, cougars, bears, raptors and humans. The balance of Nature has always been maintained as the world of plants feeds and supports the prey animals, and the world of predators keeps their numbers within limits. They impartially take what prey is easiest to catch, the young, the old, the injured or sick, overall improving the health of the prey population.
This is how Nature arranges things … if nothing interferes with its proper operation. But humans have totally upset this proper order of things. We do not tolerate competition that is capable of eating us or our livestock or our pets. When we exterminate other top natural predators, their natural prey (in this case, deer) multiply out of control. They have less to eat, they resort to devouring our shrubbery, and they continue to multiply.
One effect of this situation is usually overlooked: Nature’s habitat for the deer is not going to survive. Talk about eating yourself out of house and home! It happened long ago in Scotland, where deer and sheep ate every seedling tree, and only a few ancient oaks remained, surrounded by grass. The toppling of those oaks left not a tree that is not planted – and fenced – by humans.
Today, an inventory of the woods around us would probably find very few unfenced seedling trees. This is a disaster that might take a long time to play out, and most people might not even notice it. Nature has evolved deer to eat tree shoots and branches, and they are doing the job they were born for. Lacking tree browse, they turn to grassy fields and roadsides, where they prefer blooming plants to grass, eating every flower they can find. This abolishes the food source of bees, butterflies and many other insects.
And the deer continue to reproduce.
What person who has a heart doesn’t love these beautiful, gentle creatures? But, without taking a census, it is easy to discover that there are far too many deer for their food supply. It is time to show a tougher sort of love, love that will assure long-term survival of the woods as well as of the deer, and we smart top predators must figure out the kindest way to do it.
