Not tonight, deer… In an effort to reduce the deer population New Jersey has become the second state in the U.S. to approve a wildlife contraceptive for deer to enhance the effectiveness of hunts and other methods of population reduction.
Interestingly, the contraceptive method, a shot called GonaCan, was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture, which promotes it, but state officials aren’t so sure about its effectiveness, according to the Mother Nature Network. Al Ivany, a biologist with New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, told NJ.com. “You would have to inoculate the entire deer population of New Jersey.”
And that could run into money like deers run into cars.
GonaCon works by limiting an animal’s ability to produce sex hormones, one USDA spokeswoman said, and a single dose costs $50 (“sold,” MNN points out, “by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.” According to NJ.com, however, “manpower costs can push that price tag up to $1,000 per deer by some estimates.” Officials say the drug only works with other methods, like a hunt.
What we want to know is, if there’s a contraceptive for wildlife that they can take once for $50 and be protected for life, can they make one for humans? One that won’t push your sex drive into extinction? Can someone work on that?
Interestingly, the contraceptive method, a shot called GonaCan, was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture, which promotes it, but state officials aren’t so sure about its effectiveness, according to the Mother Nature Network. Al Ivany, a biologist with New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, told NJ.com. “You would have to inoculate the entire deer population of New Jersey.”
And that could run into money like deers run into cars.
GonaCon works by limiting an animal’s ability to produce sex hormones, one USDA spokeswoman said, and a single dose costs $50 (“sold,” MNN points out, “by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.” According to NJ.com, however, “manpower costs can push that price tag up to $1,000 per deer by some estimates.” Officials say the drug only works with other methods, like a hunt.
What we want to know is, if there’s a contraceptive for wildlife that they can take once for $50 and be protected for life, can they make one for humans? One that won’t push your sex drive into extinction? Can someone work on that?
shouldn't we worry about the human population control first?