Ross Twp.'s Proposed Deer Feeding Ordinance Getting Mixed Reviews Among Neighbors
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ROSS TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- Local towns have come up with a number of ways to deal with the overpopulation of deer, and now a proposed ordinance to deal with the problem in Ross Township is getting mixed reviews.
Cell phone video shows just how fearless the deer in the Radcliffe area of Ross Township have become. They come right up to a home's sliding glass door, and it's not just one or two, but a herd of up to 20.
Some people testifying at a Ross Township Commissioners meeting on Monday evening say it's become more than nuisance, they say it's a safety issue.
"I personally had to intervene with a six-point buck charging at my 11-year-old daughter," said one woman.
"I don't really care if they eat the vegetation, but they come up to the house, like, 'feed me,' a foot away from the window," another Ross Township neighbor said.
Neighbors blame at least one woman, who they say feeds the deer twice a day, but others say that's her right to do so.
"I feed the wild birds, at what point is this going to stop? The KDKA story talked about the wild turkeys, they have a flock of 15 wild turkeys. So, is the next step going to be, let's make an ordinance for the turkeys?" said another neighbor.
"Before you take my freedoms away with an ink pen, know that those freedoms were paid in blood. You shouldn't pass the deer feeding ordinance," another man told the commissioners.
But Commissioner Dan DeMarco told the crowd the threat from the deer is real.
"This is a public health issue and public safety issue when people are contracting Lyme disease, when children are threatened," DeMarco said.
No vote was taken on the proposed ordinance on Monday night; however, they did have a motion to formally introduce the ordinance.
There will now be a number of steps, including having to advertise the proposal, before any vote is taken. They earliest an actual vote can be taken would be in mid-July.
