By Canadian Press

Montreal-area city revives plan to kill majority of deer herd in local park

Nov 30, 2021 | 10:18 AM

LONGUEUIL, Que. — A city south of Montreal has revived a controversial plan to kill most of the deer living in a local park, about a year after it backed off from a similar initiative because of public pressure.

Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier said today she would follow the recommendations of a roundtable that stressed the need to drastically reduce the number of white-tailed deer in Michel-Chartrand park.

The group’s report found that the park was home to more than 70 deer as of the spring — more than five times the number of animals it can comfortably support.

The committee said it considered other options, including relocating the deer or reducing their numbers with birth control, but it concluded the only viable short-term option is to capture and euthanize all but 10 to 15 animals and donate the meat to food banks.

Longueuil’s previous administration had wanted to kill about 15 deer from the park last year, but it relented after strong backlash that included a petition, a protest and threats against the former mayor.

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A Longueuil spokesperson says there are still several steps that must be taken before any deer are killed, including passing a vote in city council and getting the green light from Quebec’s Wildlife Department.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2021.

The Canadian Press