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Catastrophic die-off of deer in Colorado feared without intervention
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: KOAA
There will be a catastrophic die-off of deer in the Gunnison Basin without human intervention, according to the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The numbers are staggering--70 percent of fawns, 50 percent of bucks and 30 percent of does will die. The reason--a fierce winter. Snow completely covers all food sources for deer, with snow drifts as high as four feet. Further weakening the deer are sub-zero temperatures night after night. The coldest temperature in Gunnison in the past 24 hours: minus 38. That's without factoring in wind chill.
The DOW has begun an emergency feeding operation. Using volunteers from the Gunnison community, special feed is being left in several designated feeding areas. The operation is expected to last two months. Officials hope to save 8,000 of the 21,000 deer in the area. Of the remaining, some are inaccessible, while the others are in areas where food is still available.
As for other wildlife in the area, elk and bighorn sheep are able to fend for themselves. The elk eat aspen bark when grasses are covered. Bighorn sheep feed on steep slopes where snow doesn't accumulate.
The feeding operation is expected to be extremely expensive. The DOW is accepting donations to save the deer.
