It's open-season on deers in
Maryland, but National Institutes of Health officials want to cull the herd that roams their headquarters' campus by sterilizing the does.
In a call for bids, the agency notes its 500-acre Bethesda, Md., campus has 30-40 deers running wild and wants vets who'll round up the females and remove their ovaries.
"The purpose of this contract is to continue the work initiated last year to provide the NIH with wildlife expertise for the control of the deer population on the Bethesda Campus," according to a "statement of work" accompanying the bid solicitation.
"The contractor will perform ovariectomies on adult female deer, provide tagging, and provide expert advice for humanely controlling the deer population," according to the statement.
"Additionally, the contractor will provide training of NIH veterinary staff in the performance of ovariectomies in deer" as well as provide training "in the use of dart guns to the NIH Police."
The agency hasn't allowed deer hunting on its property because of the nearby "high-density" residential and commercial area,
The Washington Free Beacon reports.
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