Two and a half million years ago, creatures that sort of looked like humans ran from the same predators as creatures that sort of looked like deer. As we humans grew into our new skins and created cultures, deer became part of our religion and way of life – from our creation stories to the coats of arms of tribes, countries and later even corporations. (Pictured above: the original coat of arms for America’s oldest company the Hudson Bay Company)
Language gives a fascinating account of us how significant deer were to human cultural history. The very word for animal is “diar” in Old Saxon, “djur” in Old Norse. The female deer is “doe” in Latin while the male is given the name “cervus”. Interestingly, the Latin word for “dear” is “carus” in latin. Perhaps, it is not a coincidence that these words are so similar. Linguists have noted there are some mysterious homonymic parallels between English dear/deer, and the Latin carus/cervus and hart (meaning stag)/heart.
These animals that have played a real role in human evolution and culture are still a big part of our lives. We hunt them, to the tune of billions of dollars a year in tourism. Hunters spend $100 million year in New Jersey, $233 million in Wisconsin, $125 million in Kansas…The average deer hunter spends $1238 a year. This hunt is not only sanctioned by polite society, it’s actually one that many non-hunters advocate for reasons I will get to soon.
Without natural predators in areas like Massachusetts, deer populations grow to 20 or more per square mile – and up to 55 per square mile on the island of Nantucket. Much of our fragmented forest landscape is well suited for these animals who appreciate backyards that provide a veritable salad bar for them. Plus, suburban deer are protected from hunters because hunters can’t shoot within 500 feet of buildings and 150 feet of roads.
These animals are beautiful, but unfortunately, not only will they eat things you plant in your yard, they also have an alarming impact on forests. They carry ticks with Lyme disease which has become a growing health problem. One hunter I met also brought up the fact that a slow death from starvation, cold or disease is a horrible way that many of these animals eventually die. ( I assume, with no predators and overpopulation, scarce food supplies exacerbate any illnesses these animals may be susceptible to.) Â I personally don’t have the inclination to hunt Bambi, but the alternative means of lowering their population by giving deer birth control seems like it could eventually have a negative impact on their genetic makeup or health. There are places already doing this, the Humane Society in New York State for example cut a population of 300 deer on Fire Island to 30 by giving them birth control.
According to Celtic myth, deities send a white hind or stag to guide chosen humans into their realm; on the other side of the world, Japanese Shinto tradition holds that deer are the messengers of the gods. I wonder what message the gods are sending us now as we move into the second decade of the 21st century.
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