Poughkeepsie – Animal rights group Friends of Animals Wednesday blasted Vassar College for its deer cull.

Group New York Director Edita Birnkrant called the decision to shoot the deer herd “ludicrous” and said it goes against the grain of what the school stands for.

“What they are teaching the students is the exact opposite of the message they should be giving, which is that part of existing in nature and in society means you co-exist in the wildlife in your community,” she said. “These deer have every right to exist and live free as they have been.”

Birnkrant said instead of killing the deer, Vassar could adopt “long-term strategies such as modifying landscapes to deter deer from sensitive areas of the preserve and planting vegetation that deer don’t consider food.”