My Battle to Save Deer From Slaughter in Arlington
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| Buck in Backyard by Liz Kirby |
In all of my endeavors, I dedicate myself with undying commitment and zeal. My journey to save deer in Arlington, Virginia is my most intense, enormous, and passionate experience ever.
Since November 2024, I’ve unwaveringly devoted myself to advocating against the Arlington County Government and stop the cruel, senseless, and unnecessary sharpshooting of deer in our local parks.
I’ve experienced a whirlwind of positive and negative mental states: enthusiasm, optimism, confidence, high and low energy, creativity, determination, disappointment, frustration, fear, guilt, sadness, depression, anger, and pain.
At one point, compassion fatigue crushed me, but I prevailed and kept my mission alive to protect the lives of deer.
Having followed local and national social media, it’s upsetting and glaringly apparent that many Arlington, Virginia citizens (and people across the United States) are uneducated, misinformed, and buy into government propaganda that killing deer is the only solution to resolving environmental-deer challenges and human-deer conflicts.
In Arlington County public meetings, it sickened me to listen to the Arlington Deer Management Staff, members of the Arlington, Virginia Forestry and Natural Resources Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Natural Resources Joint Advisory Group, joke and laugh about killing deer.
They belittled deer and spoke about killing deer as if the lives of sentient deer are insignificant and worthless. To hear them jest about murdering deer was nauseating.
It was terrifying listening to all of these people express excitement and joy about sharpshooting deer. There is no decency, respect, or compassion.
Equally, it is disgusting that the Arlington County Government disregards and does not listen to the voices and opinions of Arlington residents.
Killing deer to “manage populations” is a plague across America.
Many national animal welfare and animal rights organizations are uninvolved and not committed to helping communities stop the archaic and barbaric practice of killing deer to manage populations by sharpshooting, bow hunting, and regulated hunting.
The only national animal welfare organization that promotes in-depth, humane, and effective solutions to establish peaceful coexistence with deer is Humane World for Animals (formerly The Humane Society of the United States).
It is imperative that every national animal welfare and animal rights organization in the United States develop a mission statement and take a stand against the systematic slaughter of deer to control deer populations.
Local citizens bear the heavy responsibility to fight local authorities for effective, non-lethal, science-based strategies that preserve and protect deer, humans, and the environment.
There is a dire need to combat state wildlife agencies, like the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, to include and legitimize non-lethal deer management strategies.
I will continue to:
1. Express myself and unleash my wrath at the ignorance of the Arlington County Board: Chair Matt de Ferranti, Vice Chair Maureen Coffey, Susan Cunningham, Takis Karantonis,and Julius D. "JD" Spain, Sr.
2. Combat the propaganda of Arlington Natural Resources Deputy Division Chief and Arlington Deer Management Staff Director, John Marlin, and Natural Resources Manager Alonso Abugattas
3. Educate the public and advocate for humane, non-lethal, science-based strategies that protect deer, humans, and the ecosystem
With my entire being, I will never stop trying to save deer in Arlington, Virginia.
