Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Oh Deer – Reason.com

Image result for deer car crashOh Deer – Reason.com:

  • 30 million of Bambi's buddies are on the loose in the U.S., causing crop damage and car accidents. Markets can help.

"...By 1900, the white-tailed deer population in the United States had plummeted to 500,000. 
Now there are perhaps 30 million roaming our continent, where they trample crops, pick over gardens, and bound across highways. 
Every year, deer and their ilk are involved in more than a million vehicle collisions, causing dozens of fatalities and costing billions of dollars.
...There are many exceptions beyond furs, including hides and meat from alligators, wild seafood, and numerous imported products. 
So while you can wear a beaver felt hat, buy a wallet made from American alligator leather, or eat Pacific yellowfin tuna, you won't find wild venison at a U.S. grocery store. 
(Hunters can give meat to friends or donate it to charities, but it remains illegal to sell wild game in most states. If you find venison at a supermarket or restaurant, it's probably farm-raised red deer from New Zealand.)
Legal markets for venison might not solve deer population problems entirely, but they could be a tool to align incentives better and help fund culls..."
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