Remember that scene in Bambi when his mother gets shot and everyone in the audience cries? Did any of those people ever stop to think about the fact that because of this act of bloodlust, that hunter was able to support and feed his family, or that without this act in population control, Bambi may not have grown up to be the magnificent 10-point buck that wins the right to mate at the end of the classic children's film?
It's a strangely accurate picture of reality from a company that is famous for dress-making rodents.
Apparently the Amherst town board has been thinking along similar lines, though. In a recent meeting the board agreed to consider a plan that would allow semi-domesticated farming of wild deer for food.
Deer are an edge dwelling species, which means that they inhabit the area created where dense human population blends into deep forest. In other words, the modern iteration of the deer would not exist without humans. As such, there really isn't any substance to arguments that revolve around our removing a species from a natural habit.
In addition, overpopulation of deer is a serious problem in this area, as any intelligent upstate resident will tell you. Overpopulated deer are brazen and starved, and not only will they annoy the average horticulturalist, they will also cross the road in search of food. Deer cross the road, cars travel down the road...it's easy to see where the problem arises.
Finally, venison is a high-class meat and the pride of the country gourmand. It's expensive, and if Buffalonians start farming deer it will pump money into an economy that needs some help. New Zealand has been doing this for years, and they currently produce about 40 percent of the world's venison. It's a boon of an industry. Besides, if it's good enough for the Hobbits, it's good enough for America.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
