Valley Forge’s deer duel diesels on

Animal rights activists have not given up trying to stop Valley Forge National Historical Park from hiring sharpshooters to cull its prolific and ravenous deer herd.   Tony Wood of The Inquirer reported on the latest appeal today.

The program of using bullets to winnow the herd, then sending the resulting venison to local food banks, began in November.  The goal is to kill 500 deer a year for the next four years, eventually reducing the herd from more than 1,200 to 200.   The body count from November’s sharpshooting was 225.

This appalls groups called Friends of Animals and Compassion for Animals, Respect for the Environment (CARE), which has filed an appeal in federal court to block next year’s shoot.