Bite Club of KC: Kansas Fall 'Harvest' Takes a Dark and Bloody Turn as 300 Deer to Be Slaughtered!. 'Speaking of Death Panels ...'

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 22 // -- One of Kansas' sublime charms, the concept of "the harvest," will become a horror with a proposed October slaughter of over 300 fawns, does and bucks in residential Shawnee Mission Park, in the State's prosperous and progressive Johnson County.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090922/CG79940)

It seems the County Commissioners and Parks Board lost track of the deer population living in the residential park and plan to slaughter the herd of fawns, does and bucks using police and bow-hunters - ignoring non-lethal plans submitted by opposition groups (including Bite Club of KC).

"Accredited wildlife defender Anthony Marr has proposed a small deer preserve within the Park in which the population can be managed, for less money, with no killing, while serving as an attraction until normal life cycles reduce the herd," adds Bite Club Founder Jason Miller.

The confrontation escalated at a September 16 Monthly Meeting when the Board announced its decision to slaughter before allowing those attending to speak. Kansas City's CBS affiliate www.kctv5.com requested public comments; and the Kansas City Star letters@kcstar.com also prints public response.

"Talk about Death Panels ..." says Miller,

• "There is the nightmare of children seeing the massacre of these gentle and graceful creatures;
• They won't talk about the cost of the "harvest" to taxpayers (Miller was ejected from the meeting for asking);
• There is the likelihood of a cowboy or bow-hunting accident;
• They're talking about a meat distribution 'to the needy' with no regard for pathogens and without USDA approval;
• The slaughter of 300 deer cannot be 'cleaned up,' exposing park-users, children and domestic house pets to pathogens, viscera, blood and decomposition in what will become an actual slaughterhouse."
  

To Protest this slaughter:

The Organizers:

Mark Parkinson, Governor of Kansas -- http://www.governor.ks.gov/contact.htm (785) 296-3232

Johnson County Board of Commissioners -- BOCC-Commissioners@jocogov.org or (913) 715-5000

Michael Meadors, Director of Parks -- Michaelmeadors@jocogov.org (913) 438-7275

Lloyd Fox, Big Game Program Coordinator, Kansas Dept. of Wildlife - lloydf@wp.state.ks.us or (620) 342-0658

Mike Hayden, Secretary of Wildlife and Parks - offsec@kcoutdoors.com (785) 296-2281

CONTACT: Jason Miller - willpowerful@everestkc.net or http://biteclubkc.wordpress.com/

SOURCE Bite Club of KC