In NYC, officials wrestle with controlling deer populations

A portion of New York City is finding itself with a lot of unwelcome wildlife. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are causing traffic accidents. Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are invading yards. The problems have created a divide in the borough of Staten Island over how to take care of them. State officials are open to a limited cull to control the deer population. The city is financing a vasectomy program instead. Police “are very much opposed to hunting taking place in a borough with half a million people in c(lose proximity to each other,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters. City officials say the sterilization program has reduced the deer population by 15%. Critics say hunters would have been more effective.

Read more in the New York Times.