NEW YORK (AP) — New York City is moving forward with efforts to control the overpopulation of deer on Staten Island with vasectomies.
Comptroller Scott Stringer is allowing the city to fast-track the contracting process on a $2 million study, the Staten Island Advance reports.
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 might 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.
