New York City Moving Forward With $2 Million Deer Vasectomies Plan On Staten Island
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York City is moving forward with efforts to control the overpopulation of deer on Staten Island with vasectomies.
The Staten Island Advance says Comptroller Scott Stringer is allowing the city to fast-track the contracting process on a $2 million study.
"On Tuesday, the Comptroller's office gave approval for the Parks Department request to use an emergency procurement to initiate a three-year sterilization study of deer on Staten Island," spokesman Eric Sumberg told the Advance.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation must also approve the plan. The department has said deer fertility control programs have "limited effectiveness.'' It only permits such programs if they're part of a scientific study.
Deer can harm property, spread tick-borne illness and cause traffic accidents.
A 2014 aerial survey found 763 deer in Staten Island's green spaces. Some ecologists believe there may now be more than 1,000.
The study would start in September. Hundreds of bucks would be tranquilized, given vasectomies and released onto parkland over three years.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)