“Breeder” deer won’t step hoof in Georgia anytime soon.
Members of the Senate Natural Resources and the Environment Committee voted down a bill 4-2 Thursday that would have allowed the importation of white-tailed deer for breeding.
Supporters of Senate Bill 230, introduced by Sen. Tyler Harper, R-Ocilla, cheered the move as an economic opportunity for breeders and rural farmers who could house the deer on private property for sport.
The animals would not be released in the wild, supporters said, nor could they be slaughtered at the breeding facilities. The deer, however, would be hunted in captivity.
But opponents, including representatives from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said the risk of contaminating the state’s wildlife population is too great. They pointed to the spread of chronic wasting disease in other states with similar operations. Further, opponents said, the bill wades in murky waters as wildlife creatures are considered state property and cannot be used for private profit.
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