Chesterfield, VA — Conservation Police Officers and Wildlife Biologists with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) removed illegally-held non-native deer from private property in Chesterfield today. The agency had been working with the landowner since last fall in an attempt to resolve a situation involving native white-tailed deer.
Neighbors had reported seeing a number of white-tailed deer in poor condition confined in an enclosure on the property. Officers responding to these reports observed non-native fallow deer in addition to native white-tailed deer. The property owner did not have the necessary permits to possess the animals.
It is illegal in Virginia for individuals to hold or confine deer or other wild animals without a permit (Code of Virginia §29.1-521, Virginia Administrative Code 4 VAC 15-30-40). The only facilities allowed to possess native or exotic deer in Virginia are permitted by the VDGIF for educational, research, or rehabilitation purposes. For the welfare of the animals, these facilities must adhere to strict guidelines for housing the animals and are subject to inspection to ensure compliance. Private menageries such as this one are prohibited.
These laws and regulations exist to protect the health and well-being of wildlife, domesticated animals and people. Moving deer from one place to another and/or confining them within captive facilities increases the risk of disease transmission to other wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and bovine tuberculosis (TB) are two diseases that can he spread by confining or moving deer.
Permitted facilities have worked with the VDGIF for a decade or more to ensure that their animals are marked and that detailed records are kept. Movement of deer between compliant zoos with documented deer histories have only been allowed in a few specific cases.
One of the strategies to reduce the risk of spreading disease outlined in the VDGIF’s Virginia Deer Management Plan is to remove and to test illegally-held captive deer for diseases. This protective measure does require the Agency to sacrifice a very small number of risky individual animals. The step is taken because of the larger responsibility that the VDGIF has as a public trust agency to protect the wild deer population as a whole for all citizens. In addition to threats to wildlife, an animal with TB could affect Virginia’s TB-free status, which would have a tremendous impact on agriculture.
Illegally held animals may not be relocated to a licensed facility or released into the wild. One of the reasons such an approach is not feasible is because of the uncertainty of what an animal may have been exposed to or of its medical history. Since there is no definitive live-animal test for CWD - and because the test for bovine TB is not as sensitive in deer as cattle - the least risky approach is to humanely euthanize illegally-held deer and test tissue samples for disease. The animals at the Chesterfield property were tranquilized and removed from the property and were put down. Tissue samples were taken and they will be tested for disease.In addition to disease transmission concerns, deer, like all wild animals, are potentially dangerous to humans when confined. Deer kept in confinement lose their natural fear of humans. White-tailed deer fawns that are bottle-fed by humans become particularly aggressive as they mature. Mature male white-tailed deer are most likely to attack people during the fall breeding season.
I would like anyone to tell me what risk Fallow Farming brings that Cattle Farming doesn't
One
The native White tails were in my cow pasture more than 1000 feet away from the Fallow paddock There were five total a Buck two Does and two Fawns they were not in poor condition since they were eating not only their normal diet of grass and shrubs they were also eating the hay and grain I was feeding my cows. As soon as the fawns were big enough they all jumped out.
Two
Fallows are not wild animals, domestically raised by the Europeans for over 2000 years they were raised at Mt Vernon by George Washington along with his cows, pigs, chickens and other livestock. I do not have a Private menagerie I have a working farm. I sell cows pigs ducks chickens goats etc. and hoped to sell fallows.
Three
Fallow deer do not get CWD as proven by studies done by the US Dept of Agriculture as early as 2007 If there was any hint of Bovine TB my cows, the rest of my 100 animals as well as my farm would be quarantined Fallow deer are not wild so all of the statements concerning captive wild animals do not apply. The fallows had been in a secure paddock for four years.Previous to that they were on a farm along with other livestock. Fallows can not crossbreed with Whitetails they are of no greater risk to wildlife than any other farm animal. Farmers can not afford sick animals therefore they strive to keep their herds disease free.
Please go to the heading Fallows and Disease for more information.
Please go to the heading Fallows and Disease for more information.
As a side note: Diseases are a big issue in deer management today across the United States North America today. These include tuberculosis, brucellosis, and chronic wasting disease (CWD).
The DGIF allows feeding Whitetails most of the year if they were concerned about spread of disease they would not allow feeding.
