LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - The Loudoun County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services says they will soon be culling deer at Claude Moore Park.
They say a deer population management operation is needed as the population has grown too large for the area.
What they're saying:
Officials say they will conduct a controlled deer cull in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services.
Park staff have been monitoring wildlife conditions at Claude Moore Park and have identified ongoing concerns about the deer population.
They say this issue affects the health of the park’s natural resources, has a negative impact to the health of the deer herd and is a continuing public safety risk for drivers with repeated vehicle-deer collisions on roads next to the park.
Those include crashes on Church Road, Cascades Parkway and Potomac View Road.
The timing:
The operation is planned to take place overnight during the second week of March, after the park has closed to the public.
To maintain safety, the exact date and time of the deer management will not be shared in advance.
The park will remain open during normal daytime hours, and staff will be on-site to ensure that no public access occurs while the overnight culling is underway.
Officials say the cull will be carried out by trained professionals, and all deer taken during this USDA-managed operation will be processed and donated to the Hunters for the Hungry program, which distributes venison to local families in need.