For deer life

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This month, national news was made when an Ohio sheriff gave the order to shoot and kill 48 exotic animals.

Sorry, sheriff, but we were gunning down wildlife in North Carolina way before you.

In September, North Carolina wildlife officials shot nine penned deer on a farm in Randolph County. The dead include a deer with one eye and a fawn, which means they killed Bambi.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said the owner of the animals did not have the license required to hold deer in captivity. The commission has been quoted by the media as saying the deer had to be killed because their origins could not be verified. The commission also said the deer had to be tested for “chronic wasting disease,” which is not a medical diagnosis for toddlers who won’t finish their veggies.

The incident has led to an online petition on change.org calling for an investigation of the shootings. As of Wednesday, the petition had 20,632 signatures, with a goal of 25,000.

One person who signed the petition shared some serious concerns:

“What’s next — random execution of my dog to see if she has rabies?” Lee Barrentine wrote. “Going to start shooting people to see if they have AIDS?”

Good points, Lee. It’s a slippery slope we’re going down.