Helicopters will fly over Mentor next week to check the deer population

MENTOR, Ohio – If you’re a Mentor resident who sees a low-flying helicopter over your neighborhood, don’t worry, it’s just the USDA conducting a survey. aerial survey herds of deer.

The aerial survey

Starting Jan. 23, the USDA will be checking deer herds across the city. This is part of the town’s deer management program.

“The aim of the program is to maintain herds at sustainable levels and the result has been a marked reduction in traffic accidents as well as improved biodiversity throughout the city,” Mentor officials said. “Don’t be alarmed if you see a helicopter flying low or hovering over your neighborhood, and only call 911 in an emergency.

What is the Mentor’s Deer Management program?

According to the city, the program began in 2013 as a way to monitor deer overpopulation and the problems it causes in the community.

The city said the deer population in Mentor had exceeded its food supply and deer had wreaked havoc on young trees, wildflowers and plants in the city in private homes and parks like the Nature Preserve in Mentor Lagoons and Mentor Swamp.

Lack of food made the deer prone to disease and underweight. This has compounded issues with other species such as birds and small animals that depend on the plants the deer have eaten.

To combat overcrowding, the city said it launched an urban bowhunting and culling program to manage deer. Several years after this implementation, “flora and fauna have rebounded dramatically”, which refers to plant and animal life.

Other benefits of deer population control include a reduction in car accidents involving deer in “high-incident corridors.” The city has seen an approximately 50% reduction in deer accidents over the past five years.

Additionally, tens of thousands of pounds of venison were collected and donated to local food banks to help feed those in need.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Mentor’s deer management program.

RELATED: ODNR Sees Rising Next Generation of Deer Hunters, Who Shoot and Spend Big Money in Ohio

Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus top news alerts, the latest weather forecasts, traffic updates and more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.

You can also watch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We are also on Amazon-Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.