Kill or Sterilize Deer Living on Staten Island, Feds Say

STATEN ISLAND — The battle against deer that have encroached on Staten Island could involve killing or sterilizing them under a plan released Monday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture' long-awaited, 157-page environmental assessment of managing the white-tailed deer in New York state — including in the borough where their population has exploded — lists several lethal and non-lethal methods that could be used.

The proposed list of methods available to Wildlife Services are electric fencing, capturing and relocating or killing them, as well as using pesticides to deter them.

The government agency will meet with local councils before deciding on the best tools to use.

In Staten Island, the deer population has boomed recently, with an aerial survey done by the Parks Department last year finding nearly 800 of the animals in the borough — up from just 24 in 2008.

The boom has led to community boards, elected officials and residents to call on the city to develop a management plan for deer and the city has convened a task force to develop plans.

The city recently announced plans to install deer crossing signs in the borough warning drivers about the animals and Mayor Bill de Blasio urged the USDA to release its assessment so the city could present a plan to the state.

Aside from Staten Island, the aerial survey also found nine deer that live in parks around The Bronx, according to the draft assessment. 

The draft assessment also stated that 74 deer carcasses were removed from roadsides in Staten Island last year and 11 were found from January to March this year.

White-tailed Deer Management in New York