TEGA CAY, S.C. — The project to sterilize 200 deer has come to a conclusion, the City of Tega Cay announced on Tuesday.
The city said a company it contracted, White Buffalo, successfully sterilized 200 female deer in the city.
City council approved the Wildlife Management Plan in 2023, which also approved killing some of the city's deer population, in order to control overpopulation in the area.
The mass-sterilization began at dusk on Oct. 21. Officials told residents they might see White Buffalo staff members transporting deer to and from the sterilization sites in the night as the project was carried out.
Once deer were sterilized and returned to the site where they were collected, they were tagged with a white plastic ear tag and given reflective ribbons to wear around their necks. The city noted deer may be groggy the day after treatment.
Tega Cay's debate over how to handle overpopulation of deer in the area garnered wide-spread attention.