Humane Society Of The U.S. Do As I Say Not As I Do

Once again the Humane Society of the United States is meddling in areas where it probably shouldn’t be. Laughingly, they are doing to the town of Fort Thomas, Kentucky exactly what they are accusing the town of Fort Thomas, Kentucky of doing - relaying misinformation.

Fort Thomas, like thousands of other towns across American, has a deer problem. The town in trying to devise a plan to deal with it and because they are considering employing hunters to reduce numbers, the HSUS feels compelled to stick their nose in it. But like so many other times, they end up embarrassing themselves.

The Community Press writes that the HSUS is accusing the town of Fort Thomas of putting up “erroneous information” and for making comparisons that “do not hold up to scrutiny”.

Donald Elroy, HSUS’s director of Wildlife Advocacy, says that the town published accident information on their website that he says should have made comparisons nationwide.

Elroy said comparisons should be done with other types of vehicular accidents, which would show that, nationwide, deer-related car accidents are only a small percentage of overall car accidents.

An examination of the website of the town of Fort Thomas presents a different story.

More people are killed as a result of deer/vehicle collisions each year than by dogs, snakes, sharks, mountain lions, bears and alligators combined. On average 130 people are killed in deer/vehicle collisions each year, making deer the most deadly animal in the United States.

In Fort Thomas, between 2003 and 2006 there were 47 deer/vehicle collisions reported in Fort Thomas. This results in a yearly average of 11.75 deer/vehicle collisions in Fort Thomas. Most of the collisions occur along Memorial Parkway and Mary Ingles Highway. Due to the number of deer carcasses found along the wooded areas of the city it is obvious that many more such collisions go unreported. Based on statistics provided by the Kentucky State Police (www.kentuckystatepolice.org/deerauto.htm#totcol), each collision results in approximately $2,000 in damage to the vehicle, but more importantly, a collision puts the occupants of the vehicle at risk of injury or death. In an effort to reduce these risks, the city suggests that drivers implement the following defensive driving techniques:

Is the HSUS suggesting that it is more accurate to compare automobile accidents with deer to those of drunk driving than with other animals? Isn’t a deer an animal? I think it fair to say that when the town put up this information they were suggesting that dogs, snakes, sharks, mountain lions, bears and alligators are, for whatever reasons, better managed or more under control than Fort Thomas’ deer population. Isn’t this why they are meeting to decide what to do?

Elroy accuses the town of trying to employ scare tactics on its citizens. While presenting statistics from the Kentucky state police as fact is not only responsible, it is the truth whether we like it or not. Belittling the risks of deer/auto accidents by comparing them to other types of auto accidents and associated risks, is irresponsibly idiotic.

Elroy also declares that Fort Thomas is using scare tactics in stating that deer attacks on humans are on the rise.

Elroy said deer attacks on humans, which the Web site says are “on the rise”, “are so relatively rare that it should not be used as a justification for lethal methodologies and is simply a scare tactic.”

And what is really on the town’s website?

While deer appear to be harmless creatures, the number of attacks on humans by deer is on the increase. An attack by a deer can be brutal. Deer antlers can cause puncture wounds. On occasion, deer attacks have been known to result in severe and permanent injury to people and even death. To reduce the risk of being a victim of a deer attack, people are encouraged to observe the following suggestions:

The site responsibly goes on to list ways in which people can avoid a confrontation with a deer. Granted, attacks by deer on humans are rare but are we to ignore facts because we don’t like them? The reason that attacks are on the increase is because the combination of too many deer and too many people ups the odds considerably. What is Mr. Elroy suggesting the town do? Lie or just bury their head in the sand?

Then Elroy begins to nitpick. He accuses the town of telling false information by declaring the town is trying to scare people by saying that deer spread Lyme disease.

He also challenged information on the Web site that says deer carry and transmit Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is transmitted through infected black legged ticks, not deer, Elroy said.

So, who’s spreading misinformation? Elroy is suggesting that town officials don’t know how Lyme disease is spread. The Fort Thomas website says this about Lyme disease.

Deer pose a threat to public safety by the possibility of transmitting diseases to people. Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are known to be carried by deer. Laboratory tests indicate that these diseases can be transmitted to humans through contact with infected parasites such as ticks. To help reduce the likelihood of contracting one of these diseases the following measures are suggested: (emboldening is mine)

Once again the town responsibly list ways in which people can reduce their chances of catching the disease. I want to know where in that statement does the town say that deer “carry and transmit” Lyme disease? I believe it is quite accurate in its description that deer are the carriers of the ticks that carry the diseases. Talk about taking this out of context in order to spin a story.

I think the townspeople of Fort Thomas, Kentucky are very much capable of working out their deer population problems without the assistance of an organization bent on spreading more lies and filling the heads of the residents there with information that isn’t true.

As is typical of such organizations, they can seldom support their ideals on factual information so they resort to distortions of the truth while accusing others of doing exactly what they are doing - lying.

Tom Remington