Petition seeks investigation into state’s slaying of nine deer at N.C. animal refuge
When is an animal sanctuary not an animal sanctuary?
When state wildlife officials raid it and begin shooting its fenced-in denizens with shotguns.
Thousands of people have joined a popular campaign on Change.org demanding the North Carolina Wildlife Commission investigate the shooting last month of nine tame deer by its officers on a rehabilitation farm in North Carolina.
The officers shot and killed the deer on Wayne Kinley’s farm in Randolph County, saying they needed to conduct tests on the animals to see if they had Chronic Wasting Disease, an illness that has never been found in North Carolina.
State wildlife officials say the test can’t be conducted on live animals.
According to Fox 8 News, wildlife officials received an anonymous tip in June that Kinley was running a captive deer farm without a license.
They showed up at his farm on September 20, handed him a warrant and proceeded to shoot seven fallow deer and two white-tailed deer with 12-gauge shotguns.
Among those killed were a fawn and a deer that was blind in one eye.
“Deer were running everywhere,” Kinley said. “It was not a sight for anyone to see. They were judge and jury and convicted my deer today within a matter of 30-45 minutes.”
Wildlife officials say state law requires those running captive deer farms to have a license, and that Kinley doesn’t have one.
Kinley said he has been running the rehabilitation farm for 30 years, caring for peacocks, buffalo, kangaroos and, in the past seven years, deer.
“I didn’t know anything was wrong until today. They wouldn’t even give me a chance to plead my case to a court or anyone,” Kinley said.
Kinley received a citation, but said he plans to go to court and fight it.
The petition at Change.org was started by Millie Bowling, a North Carolina resident.
“I’m a great supporter of the wildlife commission,” said Bowling. ”But they are out of control shooting these animals.”
While the wildlife agents who stormed the property claimed to have a warrant, Kinley’s supporters argue that the warrant did not authorize agents to kill the animals, only to seize them.
“Where were our fourth amendment rights in all this?” asked Jo Henderson, a neighbor who initially raised one of the slain deer before placing it on the rehabilitation farm. “It just breaks my heart. There was no reason to kill those animals, and our rights are being trampled. We’re not going to stand for it.”
Henderson has been collecting petition signatures both online and offline and planned to deliver them — 7,000 as of yesterday — at a wildlife commission meeting today.
“People across the country have been moved by this campaign,” said Corinne Ball, Director of Organizing at Change.org. “This may have happened in a small community in North Carolina, but now folks from all over are paying attention.”
Posted by jwoestendiek October 12th, 2011 under Muttsblog, videos.
Tags: animals, asheboro, campaign, captive, cause, change.org, chronic wasting disease, deer, farm, fenced, investigation, killed, massacre, nine, north carolina, penned, petition, pets, randolph county, refuge, sanctuary, shot, tame, tests, wayne kinley, wildlife, wildlife commission
Comments
Comment from Anonymous
Time October 12, 2011 at 9:14 pm
Do they think they would have the right to go into a dog farm and do this too. It makes me sick to think they think the badge gives the the right to kill anything they want. What next people?
Comment from Carrie B.
Time October 13, 2011 at 1:53 am
Please investigate this!
Comment from jennydooley
Time October 13, 2011 at 9:45 am
Sounds like the wildlife commission have some out of control staff – make sure this never happens again.
Comment from Kathryn Smith
Time October 13, 2011 at 12:45 pm
this ‘smelled bad’ from the very first report – and it smell worse every day –
granted, he was in violation of the statute; but this was not the way to enforce it.
Comment from Juan Carlos
Time October 13, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Matando animales indefensos e inofensivos, bastardos cobardes de mierda!!
Comment from Dorota Wisniewska
Time October 13, 2011 at 2:02 pm
I think that all government officials think they are gods and can do whatever they please.
Comment from Kathleen
Time October 13, 2011 at 11:46 pm
People do need to pay attention when any government agency thinks it has the right to do as it pleases. Do we really believe that they were doing research? There are other reasons. They need to be brought out in the open. Unfortunately, these poor innocent animals are dead. Someone needs to be accountable.
Comment from ~Trish
Time October 14, 2011 at 2:06 am
This was a “shooting fish in a barrel” slaughter. Wildlife officials say state law requires those running captive deer farms to have a license, and that Kinley didn’t have one – so killing the deer is the answer? These gun-toting murderers must be held accountable.
Comment from Alan Ratcliffe
Time October 14, 2011 at 4:06 am
Bloody useless ‘officers’.
Comment from Solomon
Time October 17, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Scientific word on the street is that fallow deer (7 of the 9 shot) cannot contract CWD (reason for slaying may be super bogus). Also, there are reports of uniformed local authorities “petition snatching”. My two cents… suppression of free speech is a violation of constitutional rights and warrants a federal investigation.
Comment from Carolyn
Time October 18, 2011 at 1:53 pm
I will say this, about that…If anyone ventured onto my property with guns, they would be leaving in a body bag! And THAT is my right!
Comment from scott
Time October 19, 2011 at 6:37 pm
i agree with everyone here, im an avid hunter
of deer myself, but this takes the cake, just plain wrong and in my opinion illegal the way it was carried out, these same people bust people for killing a deer for food and yet they go in and execute these tame deer like this, just appalling..
i hope the Feds investigate all this and the petition snatching especially, i hope they lock all their asses up,
Comment from C L Johnson
Time December 25, 2011 at 2:06 pm
The deer which were killed on the Wayne Kindley farm is but a fraction of the number which has been killed in the same way since 2002.Hundreds perhaps a thousand or more and amoung the vast numbers were twenty six of my fallow deer, nine females within a few weeks of birthing their young were shot with scatter guns. Bloody trails could be seen in the pasture grass where the deer had managed to drag themselves in trying to escape their killers, I asked wildlife how many aborted fetuses were picked up after the slaughter? Wildlife has known for eight years that fallow deer are free from Chronic Wasting Disease and will tell you that these deer has to be killed because there is no live test available.Wildlife conducts no CWD test on the fallows that are killed under the disease excuse, they informed me that all my fallows tested negetive, I realize that they waste funding by the millions but doubt that they are that wastefull.
One of the engines which powers the kill all farmed deer program is both N.C. and other hunting magazines and wildlife federations,one comment about the Kindley killings was made by a hunting magazine connected to a camo clothing distributer. He comments that we are all dumb and that fallow deer has to be killed due to being subject to contract CWD, I say to him, either get more informed concerning CWD or go sticck your head back into the sand.
Comment from vida
Time October 12, 2011 at 6:58 pm
Thanks for the petition link, Signed and I hope there is accountability for this horrid act. We live in a posted area, the deer are not tame but lovely to watch. I can’t imagine killing an animal like that for no reason. Ugh.