SOME OF THE deer herd linger near the pool in the pen Sunday at Iron Mountain’s City Park, including two does with new fawns. The Canada geese and ducks that use the pool and hang around the pen have led to water quality issues, officials said. (Betsy Bloom/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — A veterinarian from Menominee County is willing to create a care plan for the deer at Iron Mountain’s City Park, which is a first step in possibly preserving the attraction, city council members were told Monday.

“It seems less grim compared to where we were a few weeks ago,” City Manager Jordan Stanchina said.

The city is under pressure from a U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinary medical office to improve the pen that’s been a park attraction more than 75 years. Seven animals identified by the USDA’s Dr. Brianna Waldrop as showing signs of illness were culled last month.

Waldrop returned June 10 for a followup inspection — one day after Dr. Barry Wehner had visited the pen and agreed to help the city develop a care plan.

During Waldrop’s visit, she contacted Wehner and stated her next inspection would take place in three months, Stanchina said. The extended deadline gives the city time to create a plan that meets USDA requirements.

“The ultimate decision of what will happen to the deer pen will still be up to the council,” Stanchina said.

Waldrop during a May 13 inspection prior to the cullings counted 21 deer, with spring fawns still being born. In her report, she set a June 13 deadline for the city to secure the services of an attending veterinarian.

Dr. Brian Scott, an Iron Mountain veterinarian who assisted Waldrop’s herd assessment, told the city he couldn’t accept that role because deficiencies at the pen “create an inhumane environment for the deer, compromising their welfare.”

According to Scott Thomas, the city’s Department of Public Works supervisor, Wehner said during his visit the deer appeared to be in good health overall.

“However, he did point out that one of the animals seemed older and recommended maintaining the herd at an age of no more than 10 years to help mitigate public concerns over the animals’ appearance,” Thomas stated in a memo to the council. “This suggestion was not due to poor health, but to ensure a consistently healthy-looking herd from the public’s perspective.”

Wehner also suggested the city considering changing the pen’s classification. If it were licensed as a breeding farm instead of a ranch exhibit, it could enable an exchange of deer with other farms, Stanchina explained.

Once a care plan is in place and cost estimates are available, the city council can make “a better-informed decision,” he said.