At last! Data shows Staten Island deer vasectomy program is paying off. Here’s how.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Deer still roam Staten Island, but a vasectomy program is paying off, according to city data.

On Sept. 19, the city Parks Department published a report highlighting the decline in the local white-tailed deer population since the vasectomy program began in July 2016.

The Parks Department’s report listed the current deer population estimate as 1,273 — a 41% drop from an initial estimate of 2,166. Counts are based on a number compiled by White Buffalo Inc., the non-profit organization contracted to run the deer vasectomy program.

“Since this project began in 2016, there has been a 41% decrease in the total deer population, as well as a 94% reduction in the number of fawn births,” Katrina Toal, deputy director of the NYC Parks Wildlife Unit said. “This data shows that the sterilization study is making a substantial impact on the deer population on Staten Island.”

LESS DEER VEHICLE COLLISIONS

The city’s report also included other data that showed the Island’s deer population headed in a positive direction, including declines in collisions and carcass removals.

According to the Parks Department report, vehicle collisions with deer have declined 60% since the project started with carcass collections also down 62%.

While those numbers have decreased, one metric, the prevalence of Lyme disease on Staten Island, has been a bit more complicated to track.

LYME DISEASE SPIKE

Numbers on Lyme disease have generally trended in a positive direction, but 2022, the most recently-available data, showed a sharp spike, according to the Parks Department data.

The years 2019, 2020 and 2021 saw 53, 48 and 55 cases reported on Staten Island, respectively, but 2022 saw cases skyrocket to 128. According to the Parks Department, the spike is apparently “due to a change in the CDC case definition. The new case definition counts anyone with a positive test result and does not…