We had something similar but on a much smaller scale. Red Mountain State Park was overrun by deer with everything eaten that a deer could reach. The deer were basically skin and bones, weighing maybe as much as 60#.

There was a huge uproar when the state discussed culling deer to get the population down to a manageable number. It seemed that some people favored the state bring food to the deer as opposed to managing the deer population.

Of course, those people don't have sportsman (hunter or fisherman) permits so do not contribute to DNR, just want every animal "treated with respect."

The state finally hired "professional shooters" to cull the deer; much to the disappointment of hunters who would have resolved the situation for free.

I live in a large (somewhat blue) city. Many of my neighbors are anti-hunters (but also meat eaters)