Don’t Feed Bambi

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette carries an article warning people not to feed wild deer. Their so-called act of kindness may actually be helping spread disease among the deer herds - and possibly eventually to humans.

Now is when deer elicit a love-hate response. Snow still lies deep across much of the state, especially in the mountains and northern counties. Deer have been plodding through it for more than a month. Often the deer congregate around homes where they glean easy meals from shrubbery and landscape plantings. Rhododendron and laurel planted around many homes are shredded and stripped.

Some homeowners are frustrated and tempted to ignore the law and declare open season on deer. Others feel sorry for the animals and want to give them a handout.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission's wildlife veterinarian says, "don't feed them."

At a recent presentation to the board of commissioners, Dr. Walter Cottrell said feeding deer in winter could artificially increase deer densities and spread disease.

Cottrell's main concern was the specter of spreading Chronic Wasting Disease among state herds. CWD has never been confirmed in Pennsylvania deer, but it has been found within 75 miles of the state's borders in New York, and within 30 miles of Pennsylvania in Hampshire County, West Virginia.

Twelve other states have confirmed CWD in deer, including Montana, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, Wisconsin, Illinois, Oklahoma and Kansas.

There is another, scary thing to contemplate here. Deer drool spreads CWD. It spreads very easily from animal to animal as a result. Deer often get into crops meant for human consumption. How's that for a cheerful thought? (Yes, it is completely speculative).