You remember Giggles, right? She was the whimpering fawn killed by a coldly pragmatic DNR raid. WISN cracked the case earlier this year, and some animal owners even directed death threats at the DNR. Others called for change, and in response, Gov. Scott Walker’s administration directed the agency to devise a proposal that would prevent a similar tragedy from ever transpiring again.
Dutifully, the minds at the DNR proposed that the state Board of Natural Resources endorse the ownership of deer in the state. Simple, right? Giggles died because someone ratted out that she was staying at an animal shelter in Kenosha County, on the lam until the next day, when someone would drive her to an animal sanctuary in Illinois. Private ownership of wild deer is currently verboten under state regulations – and policies called for putting her down. So, bing bang boom, there you have it. No more Giggles.
And so far, no Giggles Amendment, either. The Natural Resources Board swatted down the DNR’s proposal on Tuesday, according to the Racine Journal Times, which leaves the cause in the hands of legislators. Will they act? Will a lone representative stir the hearts of his comrades into overlooking the obvious problems associated with allowing amateur animal farms to metastasize across the state?
I like to think that somewhere, somehow, Giggles is watching.
