skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Expert Weighs In on Indiana's Deer Dilemma

play audio
Play

Tuesday, December 10, 2013   

INDIANAPOLIS - Many Hoosiers consider deer to be majestic creatures in nature, but some conservationists are voicing concerns about the dangers of deer overpopulation. At the turn of the 20th century, there were actually no deer in Indiana, but by the 1980s, expansion efforts had been successful and deer sightings today are common.

According to the Southern Indiana program director for the Nature Conservancy, Allen Pursell, the issue now is that feeding all those deer is affecting the ecosystem, and their browsing can be destructive.

"They are a natural part of the ecosystem and they belong out in our forests, and it was a great thing to see them return," he declared. "But like a lot of things, having too much is a bad thing, and we're getting to the place where there are so many deer now that they exceed the carrying capacity of our forests."

Pursell said people have very strong feelings on the subject: they either want more game animals to hunt, or consider it cruel to kill deer. He added that, in many areas of the country, deer have changed the composition and structure of forests by overgrazing them.

There is no easy answer, but Pursell said all sides in the deer population debate will have to compromise to find the best solution.

He pointed out that the overpopulation is also affecting suburbia, where the interaction between deer and people becomes much closer and personal, and can affect public safety when the animals get onto the roads.

"One estimate is that in Indiana there were about 30,000 of these deer-car accidents every year, and each one of those accidents will cost, to repair, somewhere between $3,000 and $4,000. And that's big money."

With the loss of wolves and mountain lions in the region, the deer lack natural predators, which Pursell said leaves it up to humans to control the population. And while there are more humane options, he said, the hard reality is that hunting is the most effective.

"Many people have looked for other solutions, birth control and other means of doing things, but either they're not biologically effective or they're not economically effective," he said. "And so, hunting is really to be at this point in time the key to managing the deer population."

Indiana is among states that have changed policies to stabilize or reduce the number of deer, and enacted the first modern firearms season targeting female deer in the state's history.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021