Fairmount Park Deer Management Program

Philadelphia, PA -  Philadelphia Parks and Recreation (PPR) Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell announced the completion and results of the Fairmount Park Deer Management program for winter 2017 and rescinded the temporary curfew for the West Fairmount Park, Cobbs Creek Park, Tacony Creek Park, Wissahickon Valley and Pennypack Park areas of the Fairmount Park system.

Implementation of the project began in December 2016 and was conducted on 14 nights over the next 113 weeks.  In total, 281 deer were removed, 44 from West Fairmount Park, 77 from the Wissahickon Valley, 28 from Cobbs Creek Park, 11 from Tacony Creek Park and 121 from Pennypack Park. The project was conducted with safety as a paramount concern and carried out with the utmost efficiency and minimal inconvenience to the public.  As a result of the project, over 7,000 pounds of venison were distributed through local food banks to feed needy people in the Philadelphia area.

The amount of deer removed represents a significant step toward reversing the impact of deer overpopulation on the vegetation in these forests and reducing the number of deer-vehicle collisions on Philadelphia roadways. Philadelphia Parks and Recreation will continue to monitor the deer populations in all of its park areas and take the necessary actions to control those populations.