Who are the Friends of the White Deer?

Individual efforts of local people have been the driving force behind Friends of the White Deer.

The citizens of Marin County, California have valued and appreciated the presence of the deer in Point Reyes for generations. Locals have contributed hundreds of hours of effort in the form of distributing signs, flyers, collecting thousands of signatures, writing to media editors and elected officials, picketing, and conducting investigations into Park policies. In the end, it is all about saving the Fallow and Axis Deer and being allowed to continue to share the beautiful Point Reyes National Seashore with them.

The Marin Humane Society
"If there is an environmental imperative to address the number of deer, then there is also a moral imperative to do so humanely. In doing so we must keep in mind that individual animals as well as species have moral standing in our worldview and actions.

"If a compelling argument can be made for reducing the number of axis and fallow deer, then the Marin Humane Society urges the Park Service to explore and implement a 100% nonlethal approach. In such an approach you would find the Humane Society and its 10,000 constituents both partners and allies."

In Defense of Animals
"The NPS needs to undertake a feasibility study by experts in the field of wildlife contraception as a way to control the non-native deer population growth through strictly non-lethal methods, NOT SHOOTING!"

WildCare
WildCare strongly opposes the killing of the non-native Fallow and spotted Axis deer that have resided in this national park for more than half a century. If population management is required, WildCare advocates a plan to humanely and non-lethally manage - not exterminate - these deer.

The deer live in the park because of human action. They were placed on a private ranch in the 1940s for hunting purposes, and have successfully shared their habitat with the native Black tail deer and Tule Elk. We now have an ethical responsibility to devise a humane and non-lethal approach to managing them.