As a person who does a daily early-morning dance with the deer that seem to be overrunning so many of our roads, I took special notice of a story making the rounds this morning.

I’m always amazed at the way people react to animal stories. Here’s a little secret. It’s not exactly an accident that the story on the death of Cuddles the cat is plastered all over today’s front page of our print edition.

People have a visceral reaction when bad things happen to animals.

Then there are deer. I do not exactly hold them in the same high regard as, say, cats or dogs. Not that I wish them any harm. I’m not a hunter.
I could not look down the scope of a rifle, see one of those gorgeous animals in the crosshairs, then pull the trigger. It’s just not in my makeup. But I don’t hold any real grudge against people who do.

That’s in part because of the amazing ability of deer to collide with cars. Yes, I know that’s because of the way we have over-developed so much of their natural habitat.

It’s a little hard to think of that as I’m swerving to avoid Bambi, which seems to happen several times a week.

So I am guessing the plan to thin the herd in Valley Forge National Historical Park is going to get some attention.

Officials there say they will bring in federal employees or private contractors to cut down the size of the herd – with rifles. They want to kill 500 deer each of the next two years, then maybe 250 to 300 in the next two years.

Overall, they’re hoping to reduce the herd from the present 1,277 to between 165 and 185. Ouch!

Or, as they say on the copy desk where they craft the headlines that appear in the newspaper every day, “Deer me.”

Expect protests. Expect counter-protests. Expect lots of talk about other ways to get the job done, including using contraception.

But it won’t change the bottom line. Fewer deer in the park. A lot fewer.

Now if we could just do the same for the roads around here.