Short, sweet or scary

Shoot and kill

I am so mad, fume is coming out of my ears.

“You must be joking,” I yell at the anchorman on television, presenting the news.

What gives?

1000 deer are going to get shot shortly. A committee of wise man has spoken. On a large piece of rural woodlands, kept by the Dutch semi-government, the amount of grazers is too high, and therefore they are going to kill the animals.

I look at the footage of the deer. Their friendly faces, their high pointed ears, their soft skin. They look adorable and cuddly, although they live in the wild.

It's outrageous, it's unbelievable, it's animal cruelty in optima form.

The voice-over continues: “The committee has looked into alternatives like birth control and replacing the animals. But those were no options. The first didn't tackle its immediate problem of having too many animals; the latter should cause the animals too much stress. So what was left was option three: shoot and kill 1000 deer next month. “

There have been protests before, last time when the animals were left to starve to death in the cold winter, there will be protests again this time.

They even speak of taking the matter to a judge in court.

I back them up, one hundred percent.

How is it possible that we, as a civilized nation, cannot take care of our wild stock in a decent manner? Sometimes it is necessary to kill a few animals because it's better for the population; I am aware of that.

But killing 1000 deer is just too much!

I will write to my politician in Parliament to do some research and ask the government questions.

Animal cruelty, how do you explain something like this to an audience?

WC: 299