Mar 24, 2015 2 min read

Mt. Lebanon’s controversial deer cull came to an abrupt end last week, and if you tally up the amount of rancor it generated to the number of deer actually killed, the ratio would be at least 1,000-to-1.

Only six deer were cashiered before the plug was pulled on the cull, which divided residents and pitted some neighbors against one another. Some argued that the plan to lure deer into corrals and shoot them with guns equipped with silencers was viciously cruel, while others argued it was an unpleasant but unavoidable necessity, considering the number of deer that have crept into the South Hills community, and the danger they pose to drivers.

When it ended last Thursday, the cull’s lack of success was blamed on delays in the permitting process, which meant that most of the snow was gone by the time the cull got under way and the effectiveness of the bait was diminished, as well as attempted acts of sabotage and apparent trespassing by opponents of the plan.

At a Monday night meeting, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Mt. Lebanon’s commissioners said they would stay away from any deer-related issues for a couple of months to allow for a cooling-off period. But it’s not an issue that Mt. Lebanon, or other municipalities in this region, can ignore. As we have previously noted, Pennsylvania is one of the leaders in car-deer collisions in the country, and an overabundance of deer increases the likelihood of humans and their pets coming down with Lyme disease. Though the consequences aren’t as immediate or dire, deer can also wreak havoc on gardens and yards.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the presence of deer, but we cannot allow them to overrun our neighborhoods. Managing the population is not barbarous, but simply a bow to reality.