People are feeding deer in Ross Township and it’s becoming a problem for some residents.
The growing number of deer in the Eaton Court neighborhood are creating health concerns and residents want township officials to do something about it.
They say they’re seeing more deer than usual, and too close to where children play.
“I think they come in through the woods behind our house down the trail and into our neighborhood,” said Laura Eisses.
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Channel 11 spoke to Commissioner Dan DeMarco, who is trying to pass an ordinance that would ban people from giving the deer food.
“People are so blatantly regularly putting feed out in their yard for the purpose of feeding the deer on a daily basis,” he said.
Neighbors worry about the deer carrying ticks into areas where their kids play, not to mention the damage to plants, which can be costly to replace. But such an ordinance could also be costly to enforce.
“I have no illusions of sending out deer-feeding patrols in the township,” DeMarco said.
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He’s tried to pass this type of ordinance before, and he said people who were against it said the deer had nowhere to go and couldn’t find food.
“I don’t buy that argument that we’ve taken over their land; we’ve been here quite a long time,” he said.
A meeting on the ordinance will be held later this month.
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