- May 17, 2024
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Last updated: 12:20 p.m. Dec. 19.
After public outcry about the way Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers killed a pet deer — cutting its throat with a knife and then leaving it to struggle and bleed for a quarter hour in a suburban front yard before shooting it — the FWC is changing its policies on how staff can kill wildlife.
The FWC sent out a staff memorandum of "interim guidance" on Dec. 13.
Staff may euthanize injured or sick animals, or "humanely kill" animals that are not injured or sick, only using "equipment, supplies, and approved methods outlined in program-specific policies with which they have training," the memorandum states. Staff members must also must make every effort to do so out of public view, the memo states.
The deer's killing was first reported by the Observer. FWC officers decided to kill the deer after receiving reports that it had attacked a resident while he was gardening. The deer had been raised as a pet by another local resident for over a year and was known around the neighborhood as "Baboo."
Responding law enforcement officers from FWC and the Flagler County Sheriff's Office tied the deer to a telephone pole in a Palm Coast front yard and slit its throat. Body camera footage revealed that the injured deer struggled and bled for about 15 minutes before one FWC officer shot it in the chest.
The use of the knife, and the length of time the officers left the wounded deer to struggle, prompted complaints from people who said the killing was inhumane. The Palm Coast man who raised the deer, Mike Hansen, said he would be seeking legal representation.
The FWC announced during a Dec. 5 meeting that it will be updating its euthanasia policy. FlaglerLive first reported that the FWC announced it would be making the change.
The Dec. 13 memorandum itself does not give detailed guidance on methods. The Observer has asked an FWC public information officer whether the new guidance will bar FWC staff from killing animals by cutting their throats, but has not received a reply as of the publication of this story.
The memo states that FWC staff members whose duties include euthanizing or humanely killing wildlife "must receive training on safe and humane methods prior to conducting such job duties."
If not acting in accordance with program-specific policies, they must also received first-level supervisor approval to do so unless the animal "poses an immediate public safety risk."
Several bullet-points in the memo direct FWC employees to shield the killing of wildlife from the public.
"Additional considerations include, but are not limited to, the density of the populated area and the presence of members of the public or the media," the memo states.
Staff members preparing to euthanize sick or injured wildlife can use "chemical immobilization" to transport the animal to a location out of public view, it states. (The memo does not address whether an animal that is not injured or sick may be tranquilized before killing. The Observer has asked that question and will add the answer here if we receive it.)
If an animal must be killed in public view, it adds, "staff shall attempt to obstruct public views as much as possible by using sheets, tarps, etc."
The memorandum states that it will remain in effect until the FWC agenda it or develops a new internal policy.
