OP ED
Is Croton now engaged in a bloody war against its animals? It has long been at war with its dogs.
The Village Code prohibits residents from walking a leashed dog in a Croton park. The sole exception to this prohibition is Croton Landing, but only because the Village accepted Federal funds for its development.
Now the Village suddenly wants to unleash a bloody, two-and-a-half-month, all-out campaign against a beautiful and graceful species, the White-Tailed Deer, using extremely cruel and inhumane methods.
Adequate fencing is one solution. We have no problem with deer. Our property is completely protected by fencing.
We understand that the arboretum was incorporated in 1994 as the “Croton Arboretum and Sanctuary, Inc.” In every dictionary, “sanctuary” means “a reserved area in which animals, especially wild animals, are protected from hunting.” Why have Village officials ignored this?
This summer the Village has been overrun by hordes of brown rats. In many ways, these disgusting, disease-carrying animals pose a greater threat to public health than any other animal. Yet the Village has done absolutely nothing about the massive rat infestation, except to hush it up.
Village officials seem anxious to have on their hands the blood of innocent deer killed barbarously and indiscriminately. Our family wants no part of their animal cruelty. We ask them not to do this in our name.
