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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Proposed Ashland entry sign designs ... Fisher queen: Cricket helps biologists understand impacts of logging on habitat ... Backstage: 'Opera is a world onto its own' ... Proposed Ashland entry sign designs ... Fisher queen: Cricket helps biologists understand impacts of logging on habitat ... Backstage: 'Opera is a world onto its own' ... OUR VIEW Our View: Time to cull the herd Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Oct. 2, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Oct. 2, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Deer are beautiful creatures, delightful to watch when you can catch a glimpse of them in their natural habitat. The city of Ashland is not their natural habitat. That is why deer have become such a nuisance. They have become so accustomed to wandering unmolested through town, dining on garden vegetables, landscape plants and the grass in the Siskiyou Boulevard median that they have lost their normal fear of humans. They are still wild animals, although unnaturally habituated to hanging out in town. So they react unpredictably when approached, including attacking people and dogs. "The deer were here first" is true only in the sense that deer lived here before Ashland was settled. Deer avoided populated areas for years before misguided people started feeding them. As Mayor John Stromberg acknowledged during the "deer summit" he convened last week, the situation has changed even over the five years since the last such meeting. Ashland is now home to a deer herd that has taken up permanent residence, dear. This is not natural, and it is not good for the deer or the city's residents. And, while nonlethal steps can and should be taken, starting with strict penalties for anyone who feeds deer, the problem will not be solved without culling the herd. Yes, that means killing deer that do not belong here. Tranquilizing and relocating animals that have never lived in the wild would be a death sentence in many cases anyway. Ashland is a city, not a game preserve. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Oct. 2, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501