Inhumane Death

The following is undercover footage of the Summit County Metroparks deer slaughter where the park employees are being trained by Solon's former sharpshooter, White Buffalo, President Anthony DeNicola. After shooting the deer, plastic bags were placed over their heads as in Solon.

WARNING This video contains graphic images

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sf2NSLhb4c

This video was shown at a public meeting at the Solon public library in Dec.'04 before the decision makers hired Mr. Denicola. Many city employees and public officials attended and did watch this video and yet they proceeded with their lethal plan.

After viewing SHARK’s video footage, all three vets declared that the deer in question was still alive minutes after being shot while a bag was pulled over her head.

Hi, my name is Dr. Bennett Fagin, and I'm a veterinarian, a licensed veterinarian in the state of Ohio. I've been a veterinarian for 22 years. I’ve just finished watching video footage of a deer kill in the Summit Metro Park, and I've watched the footage from before the deer was shot until the deer was dragged off of the field and in my professional opinion; the deer was not killed with the first shot. The first shot was the only shot, and I do not understand why an additional shot wasn't rendered after the deer was shot the first time. A bag was placed over its head, and the deer actually struggled more after the bag was placed over its head than it was after it was shot. I realize that muscle contractions occur for minutes following a fatal shot, but what I visualized was more than muscle contractions or fasciculation. The animal actually thrashed when its leg was grabbed and in my professional opinion, the manner in which this animal was shot is inhumane. I think the animal should have been shot again, and someone at close range should have placed a shot either in its head or through its heart and humanely killed it. Thank you.

My name is Dr. Alice Jeromin. I am a registered veterinarian in the state of Ohio for the past 15 years. I just had the opportunity to view a shot of the deer kill in the Summit County Metro Park. The circumstance was that the deer was apparently shot somewhere in the upper body, left for dead and then when approached by someone, started to fight and flail. They then put a plastic bag around his head in an effort to drag him off the field, and he fought the entire way. In my opinion after seeing this video, after this deer was shot with one shot, that deer was not dead. What was done to that deer was extremely inhumane in my opinion. He was still alive, and that deer was suffocated apparently then by the person coming up and placing that plastic bag around his head.

I'm Dr. Richard Slenn, graduated from vet. school in 1986, mixed animal practitioner, large and small. I've viewed the videotape of the deer euthanization, and it is my opinion that the deer obviously was still alive when it was being dragged off with the plastic bag around its head. It should have been totally limp with no struggle. It probably could have been remedied by giving a second shot or a third shot in the skull, right when they realized that it was still kicking. Yes, the animals do move a little bit after being shot in the head, if they’re shot right, but not for that extended period of time that was shown in that pictorial. I was once a hunter, and I have had the occasion to euthanize deer with a shot in the head, so I actually have experience in knowing how long an animal probably would twitch and kick and resist, and that was not the case here.

My name is Meg J. Baho, DVM. I graduated from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995 and practice animal medicine in the Columbus, Ohio area. I just viewed the horrifying video footage. My opinion is as follows: The first deer on the footage was shot, collapsed, and then appeared to have either conscious muscle contractions due to struggling and pain or perhaps violent post-mortem, agonal muscle tremors. The deer was then still for several moments. However, after the bag was placed on the doe's head, she was seen to have violent, flailing movements generalized through her body. This would not happen if she had been fatally shot the first time. These movements were not characteristic of normal post-mortem movement in any way, shape or form. She would not have post-mortem activity moments after being fatally shot induced by having a bag placed over her head. If the shooters were in that close of range, a fatal shot should have been administered. I cannot imagine why this didn't happen. If individuals involved in these cullings were interested in looking for diseases in her brain and central nervous system, she could have been much more humanely killed via a shot through her heart. There is no reason that I can imagine that she was not killed with another bullet. Humane and safe alternatives to deer population control exist and should be employed in both rural and urban areas. This sort of killing only reduces the gene pool and only invites deer from surrounding areas to come in and take the environmental niche that was left behind after this "depopulation."

Back to Main Site