Staten Island: A 'Deer Dumping Ground?' One Official Speaks Out
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Officials are worried that Staten Island is being treated like a deer dumping ground after one animal found in Brooklyn was sedated and brought to the borough over the weekend.
Borough President James Otto said the act was unacceptable, and took his frustrations to the NYC Parks Department.
"There was a time when Staten Island was the dumping ground for every ounce of garbage generated by the city of New York," Otto wrote in a letter to Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver. "Staten Island is a dumping ground no longer."
Staten Island already has an exploding deer population. Area deer population went from 24 to nearly 800 between 2008 and 2014 -- more than 42 deer per square mile.
The Parks Department said in a statement the move was a one-time occurance, "due to the lack of appropriate parkland in Brooklyn and the need for a humane response."
One Staten Island resident told CBS2's Vanessa Murdock he approved of the move.
"I think thats a good move, sure," Dan Valenti, of South Beach, said. "He ain't gonna make it in Brooklyn -- he'll make it over here, not in Brooklyn that's for sure."
