SYRACUSE, N.Y. — It’s been an ongoing debate, but the Syracuse Common Council has finally approved a plan to cull deer in Syracuse.
This plan will include the use of sharpshooters.
The issue with the deer is that the urban deer population nearly doubles every three years. To combat this, the common council and USDA have agreed that systemic culling would be the best way to slow down the population growth for deer in the area.
Another major issue is the diseases that deer carry. They’re notorious for carrying Lyme Disease and in general are a nuisance to home owners.
Syracuse Parks and Recreation Commissioner Julie LaFave says this decision is not just about eradicating the deer population. “So it’s not just a culling plan, we need to educate the public on tick and Lyme disease safety how to avoid it. If there’s a warm day like today… there’s still a risk out there.”
The threat of Lyme disease is very real. Hair Salon Owner Kathleen Wallace is a Syracuse resident living with Lyme Disease.
She’s happy to spread awareness about the disease and warns about the danger of ticks and how deer can spread their diseases. “The deer do get the worst ‘media’ I would say,” she says. “The deer are the bus, they’re the bus. They’re carrying the ticks in. But the disease is coming from white-footed mouse and small mammals.”
The culling will begin in December, with a majority of the operation being carried out in the night.
If you would like to learn more about Lyme Disease, you can visit Wallace’s support group that meets at Nature Time on the third Monday of every month at 6:30.
