To the editor:
Like Susan Winston (Viewpoint: I am not the deer hunter, but …), I saw many deer in the Berkshires this summer—in fact, more than ever. One evening around dusk, one sprinted in front of my car. Fortunately, I was able to slam on my brakes in time and avoid a collision. Just a few minutes later, another deer crossed Route 71 close to my car. So, I agree with Ms. Winston that deer are a hazard to drivers and increasingly so as their numbers grow.
But I disagree vehemently with her conclusion that the answer is to reduce their population by killing them. There are better and certainly more humane solutions. One of them is to simply drive more slowly and attentively. That’s what I did for the rest of the summer, and while I continued to see many deer on or alongside the roads, I didn’t come close to having an accident.
But the bigger question that Ms. Winston’s article raises is what should be our relationship to deer and animals in general? What’s crucial to keep in mind is that, like us, they are sentient beings—they have feelings which include, of course, feelings for their offspring. Certainly the ability to feel is a hallmark of life at it higher reaches. So I fail to see how killing them is not murder, even though we don’t call it that. How would we feel if someone decided to kill us preemptively in order to make their life a little safer and more convenient?
A significant part of human history is our wanton domination of nature. Over the last two centuries it has led to the greatest global crisis we’ve ever faced: climate change. The ravaging of the planet’s resources has poisoned the atmosphere possibly beyond repair. The same attitude of destruction is reflected in our behavior towards non-human animals. Instead of accepting them as cohabitants of the earth, with equal rights as us, we kill them for consumption and sport. And now, people such as Ms. Winston, advocate murdering deer (she labels it “birth control”) because they are a threat to humans and their property. Why bother to drive slowly and carefully or to transfer deer to isolated wildlife preserves when it is so much easier to put a bullet through their heads?
Ms. Winston asks what deer do for humans. Her answer is nothing good. My reply is the opposite: they give us beauty. One morning this summer I was in my office at home when a young deer suddenly appeared on my back lawn. He stopped to look in my direction and as he did, I got up from my chair in order to get a better view of him. For about a half minute we stared at each other. I, of course, had no idea what he was thinking but I was deeply grateful for his presence. He had a sweet gentle face and body, as most deer do, that was a joy to behold. I was so taken with him that, like a young child, I began to talk to him. I told him that he was always safe with me and that he should come back. As he left, I threw him some kisses.
I realize fully that animals can create problems for us. In the fall of 2021, a black bear rammed into my Honda causing a lot of damage. But humans cause many more car accidents than animals and we don’t think of killing them.
We need to understand that just because we have the power to dominate nature, we don’t have to use it. Rather we should practice respect, compassion, and restraint.
I will continue to drive slowly and attentively, doing the best I can to keep my neighbors, the deer, a precious gift from nature, safe from harm.
Mitch Gurfield
Alford
