WLNS 6 News

Residents upset after Lansing secretly culls deer

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Residents are upset after the City of Lansing failed to tell them about deer being killed in their parks.

People living near some public parks in Lansing told 6 News they heard gunshots going off, and when they called police about it they say they were told it was a secret deer cull.

They are calling this move by Lansing disrespectful and unsafe after they had no idea that a deer cull was in place. They fear that without the public knowing about this, it’s only a matter of time until someone gets hit by a stray bullet

People who live near Fenner Nature Center say they began to hear gunshots Thursday night around 7 pm. Fearing it was another shooting in Lansing, they called the police.

“They told me that there was a secret deer cull operating tonight in this area,” said Christopher Hull, a Lansing resident.

A deer cull is the removal of inferior deer to manage the population and improve the life for others. The problem is Hull and other residents had no idea they had a cull that was taking place.

“It did not go through any public comment or discussion or anything like that,” said Hull.

City officials say Lansing has an urban deer management control plan in place in some areas.
They say they’re working with the Department of Resources at night to control the population.

Hull says that even though the parks are closed, people are still out there and the hunters are putting people in direct danger without telling them about the plan

“There is a whole homeless encampment down there and there is traffic all over there from people especially in the summer but even in the winter,” said Hull.

Hull says other cities are doing deer culls but unlike Lansing, they told their residents

“If democracy is good enough for East Lansing, Okemos, Ann Arbor, and many other places then it’s good enough for Lansing,” he said.

Hull and other residents say they will work to get the cull replaced with methods that don’t involve killing the deer.