Holladay seeing growing urban deer population


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HOLLADAY — Some Salt Lake County residents say they've had it up to here with deer.

Complaints over property damage and safety have risen over the last few years with the growing urban deer population.

One woman knows first hand.

"Few years ago, we'd see one once in a while, but now, there are just many more," said Liz Neily, a resident of Holladay. "People don't realize that deer can be really aggressive."

That aggression is something she's seen up close.

"I had the bucks in rut approach me. She kicked my big wirehaired dog in the head," she said.

After years of property damage, the attack on her dog, and seeing the sheer number of deer around her house, Neily said she had enough. Documenting it all, she took her concerns to city leaders.

"It's really just the last couple years that this has become a problem we've been made aware of," said Holladay mayor Robert Dahle. Dahle said they are working with the Division of Wildlife Resources to determine if an Urban Deer Management Program is necessary — a program that would cost a lot of "doe."

"Do we take the taxpayer dollars to deal with an issue that just affects a small percentage of the population?" Dahle said.

If you ask Neily, she'd say 'Yes.'

"It can be addressed and pushed forward. I think there are enough people now that have so many deer issues," she said.

Mayor Dahle said the wheels are in motion to assess just how bad the problem is. When asked to give a rough estimate of just how much an Urban Deer Control Program would cost taxpayers, Dahle said it'd be around $25,000. Dahle also said it is a long process to start the program and wants to survey more city residents before the Holladay city council puts the option on the table for a vote.

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Nicole Vowell

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