Key deer dilemma: encroachment

Key deer, only about two feet (0.6 meter) tall at the shoulder,
occur only in the lower Florida Keys, and are a subspecies of
the white-tailed deer. The remaining key deer (an estimated 300)
enjoy their own refuge, the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine
Key, but must contend with increasing encroachment of roads, development,
and traffic. Harassed by dogs, driven out of their habitat by
land-clearing for homes, the deer often wander onto busy highways,
especially U.S. Highway 1, which traverses the refuge; last year
cars killed 66 of them.
They sleep under peoples houses, says assistant
refuge manager Michael McMinn. Theyre becoming
urban deer. Theyre cute as hell, and people feed them.
They run up to cars when they see one slow down. The future?
The secret to survival is habitat, habitat, habitat.
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