Citizen Advocates for Lakeway Deer (CALD)—a grassroots organization of residents of Lakeway, Texas—has unveiled never-before-seen video footage of the city’s handling of so-called “surplus” deer. The footage exposes for the first time how the animals, who are lured into traps, are netted, are pinned to the ground, have their antlers sawed off, and are then hauled upside down into a trailer. They’re ultimately transported to slaughter.
After being driven 80 miles, the animals are shot in the head and butchered.
A Lakewood police detective admitted that “any animal that gets a net dropped on ’em … gets its horns cut off … gets picked up and put in a trailer upside down, that’s traumatized, you know?”
One trapped deer had previously been shot with an arrow. He lay bleeding, caught in the netting. Instead of ending the wounded deer’s suffering, the workers sawed off his antlers and dragged him away to the trailer.
Lakeway spent more than $28,000 in 2013–14 on this traumatizing practice, even though trapping is an ineffective method of wildlife control. Killing backfires because the resultant spike in the food supply accelerates breeding among survivors and newcomers. Even the detective admitted, “I’ve seen this going on for 10 years, and Lakeway is still covered with deer. It’s … not going to eliminate ’em, you know.”
And deer families are torn apart, with orphaned young left to starve. Despite widespread opposition, the city has continued with this year’s trapping program.
You Can Help Stop This!
CALD has collected the signatures of more than 1,000 Lakeway residents who are calling on the city to end the deer-trapping program, conduct a census of the deer population, and implement humane means of managing wildlife issues.
Please urge Lakeway officials to halt the trapping and slaughter of deer, and share these humane deer-control tips with them.
Please send polite comments to:
Steve Jones
City Manager
stevejones@lakeway-tx.gov
Please feel free to use our sample letter, but remember that using your own words is always more effective.
Exposing the Big Game 
Reblogged this on The Extinction Chronicles.
Reblogged this on Upper Dublin Deer.
The cruelties these people come up with is beyond words.
Reblogged this on "OUR WORLD".
Humans are such monsters.
maybe we should deer trap these crazy officials .. hideous fate for these deer
The results are the same – whether its trapping or killing deer, rounding up wild horses/burros, or the quarantine/slaughter of buffalo, the trapping & slaughter of the predators – all of which if left alone & allowed their own habitat preferably with no livestock, wouldn’t need “management”. Why we as humans believe we are so much better able to “manage” other species? Unbelievable! By the way, exactly what is the point of cutting off the antlers? Just to prove they can do it?
I live in NY – deer season still exists here, but not near as many hunters anymore. Lots of posted land!! Considering that several years ago, I found an arrow below my bird feeder in my yard – then later, while walking my dog, found a dead doe that almost made it back to the woods – meant some idiot with his bow & arrow BEFORE archery season – had shot at a deer from the road, probably early in the am. Never found the crook that did that & the state police did try!