Politics & Government

Virginia's First Deer Sterilization Effort Underway in Fairfax City

Spaying program expected to help reduce deer population.

Fairfax City is expected to complete it's deer sterilization program this weekend — a first of its kind in Virginia.

Last month, the Virginia Department of Gaming and Inland Fisheries approved the deer spaying program.

Contractor Anthony DiNicola with White Buffalo explained the process to city leaders in December.

Female deer found in public spaces are shot with a tranquilizer and a tracking chip. The deer is taken to the city police station, where the surgery is performed. The does tend to recover quickly and are released back into the area where they were found.

The tags will remain on the deer so that the city can monitor the program's progress and recognize migration patterns of the animals.

What do you think of the city's deer sterilization effort? Tell us in the comments!

The Washington Post's Tom Jackman tagged along over the weekend and filed a report on the deer sterilization effort, including this interesting fact:

"One thing DeNicola found interesting: None of the 11 does he’s caught so far were older than 6 1/2 years old. That may mean they are dying younger in Fairfax City for unknown reasons, since there’s no hunting in the city and they’ve only had about 20 reported car-deer fatalities since 2006, Sgt. Michael Duncan said."

Read more of Jackman's account and see photos.


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