Four whitetail bucks at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray may receive vasectomies as part of the state’s effort to control the deer population there.

There are currently 20 deer in a three-acre enclosure at the park, which
treats and releases injured wildlife when possible, and keeps non-releasable
animals to educate the public about wildlife.

Lisa Kane, supervisor of the wildlife park with the Department of Inland
Fisheries and Wildlife, said allowing overcrowding in the three-acre deer
pen does not teach the public about responsible game management.

However, a group of supporters of the park are upset.

Joe Jones, president of the Friends of Maine Wildlife Park, said providing
the opportunity to view that aspect of the deer’s life cycle up close is a
part of the park’s mission.

“I am upset because people love to see the babies. That is the biggest
reason they come to the park, to see the babies,” said Jones, the group’s
president since 1993. “If they had done the proper thing, reduced the herd
early last spring, they wouldn’t have any problems. We have (20) deer in the
yard. I agree, that is too many.”

While Kane said the cost of vasectomies was not prohibitive, two other
department officials said it might be.