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The decision to cancel in its entirety this year's controlled deer hunt that had been scheduled at the Smithsonian’s exotic animal center near Front Royal was called "short-sighted" today by Virginia Congressman J. Kenneth Robinson, whose Seventh Congressional District includes the center and surrounding region.
Reacting to the announcement by Smithsonian officials in Washington that the hunt had been called off. and that refunds would be made to hunters who had paid fees to participate. Robinson said:
‘‘It's not only a bit ter disappointment to Virginians selected for the hunt, it provides no real solution to the proble..' posed by the excessive deer population on center property. It’s clear that Smithsonian officials came to view the hunt as a legitimate moral issue, owing to their large responsibilities for the protection of wildlife. However, if the herd continues to multiply unchecked within the confines of their property. I believe they will find their proglems cruelly compounded, as available forage is eaten up. Inordinate loss of wildlife can result from the failure to follow sound game management practices.
“It appears that Smithsonian officials will request an additional appropriation of $350,000 to $600,000 from the Congress to cover the costs of 12-foot fencing within certain areas at the center, and of relocating part of the herd elsewhere in Virginia. This request may be included in the 1983 Interior Appropriation bill At that time, as Virginia’s only member on the House Appropriations panel. I intend to question the willingness of the Congress to vote such sums for measures that are likely to prove ineffective and a waste of the taxpayers’ money. “Over the short term, of course^ there appears to be
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