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Environmental Law

: ESA Blawg

Severed deer heads in the Florida Keys?

By Keith Rizzardi

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Once again justifying the criminal provisions of the ESA (see also Jan. 18, 2008 ESAblawg "Harassing a manatee"), multiple Florida newspapers today reported unusual killings of the endangered Key deer. According to the Bradenton Herald, citing the Key West Citizen, "a Big Pine Key resident found three severed Key deer heads on federal property," and in another incident, "a deer was found alive but with a 3-foot-long spear in its neck."

Evidently, somebody in the Conch Republic watched "The Godfather" too many times.

Key deer hiding in red mangroves from U.S. FWS

The tiny Key deer number only 700-800, and frequently get killed by cars travelling the US-1 corridor. Although well adapted to the Florida Keys' highly salty environment, the deer is especially populous in the Big Pine Key region, where it benefits from a freshwater filled quarry and has its own National Wildlife Refuge.

Other Worthy Resources:

U.S. Fish & WIldlife Service, Multi-Species Recovery Plan for South Florida, "Key Deer" at 4-3 to 4-23, available online.
Texas A&M University's Florida Key Deer Research Project, available online.

Full post as published by ESA Blawg on January 22, 2008 (boomark / email).