Deer killings in a local neighborhood spark protests.

A couple of dozen Washington DC residents recently took a stand against the shooting of deer in Rock Creek Park. Their pleas to control the deer population using more human means fell on deaf ears.

Officers from the National Park Service set up blockades and put out bait in locations where sharpshooters were stationed. The shooters planned to harvest up to 70 deer over several days.

The move to eradicate the excess deer in the spring came as a surprise to many as the agency in charge had previously stated they wouldn’t begin the operation until fall.

Protestors had very little time to organize, but did manage to get over a thousand signatures on their petition to ban the activity.

Carol Grunewald, who's against the activity, said, “We want them to use all the science, all the technology, all the latest to come up with a solution that’s elegant, not barbaric.”

Those against the current means of thinning the population may have another chance to change things as the department plans to not resume the activity until fall.

According to a 2011 State Farm Insurance report, deer cause over 1 million vehicle accidents a year in the US alone.

What do you think should be done to control deer population?