Doe is euthanized shortly after sterilization procedure.
The city of Ann Arbor, Michigan was forced to euthanize a doe just nine days after it was sterilized as part of the city's controversial deer population control program.
Ann Arbor has seen its population divided in recent years between people who want to see the size of the herd reduced through culling and those that want a non-lethal method of population control.
Although at this point it is unclear if the procedure had a hand in the animal's death.
This latest incident happened last Friday when a resident spotted a doe tagged as No. 32 that seemed to be in pain. "Upon examination, the sterilization incision appeared to be healed and was not infected and there were no signs of bleeding, discharge or trauma," a statement released by the city said. "However, because the animal was in distress, Dr. DeNicola decided that the humane course of action was to euthanize the deer by injection."
Mlive.com reports the doe was also seen acting strangely in the days following a procedure that removed the animal's ovaries.
The procedures on Ann Arbor deer are being performed by Connecticut-based non-profit wildlife control company White Buffalo Inc. This is the same company that is performing Staten Island, New York's deer vasectomy program.
Just like Ann Arbor, that program has also drawn its share of criticism.
The company sterilized 54 deer in Ann Arbor. The procedures are part of a two-pronged approach to deer management. White Buffalo will also be culling up to 100 deer with sharpshooters.
White Buffalo says complications from their procedures usually manifest only a few days afterwards. They are planning a necropsy to learn more about what happened to this doe. Right now they are speculating the doe may have already had some health problems they weren't aware of at the time of the procedure.
These problems could possibly have been magnified by the stress of the capture and tagging process. White Buffalo and the city plan to make the results of the necropsy known to the public after it is done.
For now, the company will try to wrap up the cull portion of the program. In the meantime, the city is asking anyone else who sees a tagged deer in distress to contact the police.
It seems the controversy over Ann Arbor's urban deer populations won't be coming to an end any time soon.
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NEXT: STATEN ISLAND'S $2 MILLION DEER VASECTOMY PLAN TO CONTINUE THROUGH MARCH
