Wildlife in the city

[wolverine]

One thing I enjoy about North Campus is the wildlife, especially the deer that are easily approachable and won't even flinch when you are just a couple feet from them. Of course we also have the well fed squirrels. But man, I tell you these deer can scare me when they run out into the roads, especially when it's between buildings where you wouldn't expect them to be.

I nearly hit a deer, missed it by inches when riding my bike down the hill near Catherine. It dodged out from around the parking structure and it was really dark so I couldn't see....so night cyclist beware.

I know wildlife is becoming an issue in cities since the public rarely expect animals larger than dogs to come running out between alleyways or from city parks. The issue is these animals are so large, they can cause serious harm. The danger of hitting a deer is no longer limited to winding country roads.

[cnordstrom]

Deer populations are a massive problem all across the state, not just here. They're voracious eaters, and destroy local forests as well as farm fields. Oak seedlings don't generally stand a chance, because deer eat them up so quickly. I'm not a hunter, and doubt I could ever kill a deer personally, but I think we've reached a point where a longer hunting season (or less limits on the numbers of deer that can be killed during the existing season) might be a good idea. I've spoken with a few very prominent botanists and they seem to universally detest the deer populations!