Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael DeBerardinis on March 30 lifted a temporary curfew for Pennypack Park and other city parks after the completion of the winter 2012 deer management program.
The parks were closed to the public from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for 14 weeks to allow sharpshooters to cull 134 deer from the local population. Shooting occurred on 11 nights and resulted in the removal of 60 deer from Pennypack Park, 56 from Wissahickon Valley Park and 18 from West Fairmount Park. Cobbs Creek Park also was subject to the curfew, but no deer were culled there.
The deer management program distributed 3,300 pounds of venison to local food banks.
No human injuries were reported. The parks department reported strong public adherence to the curfew.
The deer management program is intended to reverse the impact of deer overpopulation on the vegetation in forested parks and to reduce the number of deer-vehicle collisions on Philadelphia roadways.
The parks department will continue to monitor the deer population and conduct future management programs when necessary. ••
