Voices Carry

Thank you to all the Oak Bay residents, and residents from surrounding communities, who came out during an extremely trying time while the council commenced with their deer cull in February/March. You raised your voices every way you could think of; appealing for scientific research, writing and presenting to councils and board members, even walking the streets of Oak Bay day and night looking for signs of those who were creeping around in secrecy.

Mayor Jensen announced that seven bucks and four does lost their lives over a sixteen day period. When he went to the media to declare the cull a success, he could not contain his obvious glee that the public was not able to observe this carefully planned kill.

We have learned that the pilot in Oak Bay was initiated to conduct a cull in a densely urbanized area without detection. Staff time (“not cheap” according to Mayor Jensen) was spent carefully selecting properties, not based on complaints, but on the ability to keep the “euthanasia” of problem wildlife a carefully guarded secret.

We will not accept any more of these killings in our communities. DeerSafe is here to support the many residents of the Capital Regional District who insist on scientific evidence of an urban deer overpopulation and non-lethal human/deer mitigation. We cannot be shouted down just because the loudest voice has the ability to snuff out innocent lives.

We are not going away. Voices carry.

No plans for Nanaimo to follow Oak Bay with cull to control deer

Darrel Bellaart, Daily News

There are no immediate plans to cull deer to control Nanaimo herd populations, now that Oak Bay has conducted the first community deer cull in B.C. Eleven deer were killed over 16 days in February, fewer than half the original target of 25, but the mayor declared the cull a success.

Neither Mayor Bill McKay, nor Leon Davis, Nanaimo SPCA shelter manager, see a cull as something needed for Nanaimo, following the trial.

McKay questioned the benefits of a cull that cost the Capital Regional District $150,000, and "all that pain, for only 11" deer.

"I know a lot of people in Nanaimo are really concerned about deer, particularly on roads and in their neighbourhood," said McKay.

"I think if we were going to even consider it in Nanaimo, I would like to see some pretty indepth studies, with the BC SPCA and with Deersafe."

The Oak Bay cull was to reduce vehicle collisions with deer.

In 2012, the number of deer struck by vehicles averaged one a day.

Since then, the numbers have fallen steadily, with 300 deer carcasses collected in 2013, and 260 last year, said Sue Hughes of Coastal Animal Services, the contractor.

Davis said before even considering a cull, a "comprehensive study" is needed.

Conservation Officer Stuart Bates said a cull is "not for me to decide," but said Nanaimo's urban deer population does appear to be dwindling.

"We've seen a little decline in the numbers we get called for - usually old deer or last year's fawns," Bates said.

Part of it may be increased predators, but deer feeding also seems to be down in Nanaimo, "which results in fewer motor vehicle collisions," Bates said.

Seven bucks and four does were trapped and killed in Oak Bay.

"There's nothing been learned from this, and no evidence this will solve the problem," Davis said. "When you trap a deer, they panic."

Oak Bay’s ‘quite successful’ deer-cull toll 11, Mayor Jensen says

A deer cull in Oak Bay has been completed with 11 deer killed, said Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen.

The mayor announced this morning that the controversial cull was completed at the end of February with 11 deer — seven bucks and four does — killed.

“I see it as quite successful in that just under two weeks we were able to capture and euthanize 11 deer,” Jensen said.

The mayor credited the success of the program to residents who offered their properties to place traps, city staff and the contractor Ron Kerr.

The cull is part of a $150,000 Capital Regional District deer-management pilot project.

Oak Bay volunteered to be the first municipality to run the pilot program. Oak Bay’s share of that $150,000 is capped at $15,000.

“This is a pilot project so part of the reason to go through this was to see can this be done in a densely populated urban community and how can it be done,” Jensen said.

After deer advocates asked people to come forward if they saw traps, several property owners volunteered their properties for the pilot project. “We’re grateful for the residents who offered up their yards and homes,” Jensen said.

A report will be given to the CRD at the end of March. It will go through the planning and protective services committee and then to the CRD board. A report will also go to Oak Bay.

Oak Bay’s “learning experience” with the pilot project can now be used to inform other municipalities in the CRD, Jensen said.

One lesson learned, Jensen said, was that it was more difficult to attract deer given the greater abundance of food sources in a coastal climate which was compounded by an early spring, Jensen said.

By the time the municipality had its permit and contract in place, it was February and the contractor had just 16 days to carry out the cull.

The cull period is set by the province based on the birthing and gestation cycles of deer, Jensen said. White-tail fawns are born in late spring.

The permit allowed for a cull of 25 deer.

“If it was run over three months we would have easily been able to achieve 25 deer,” Jensen said.

Oak Bay’s mayor never expected 25 deer to be caught over the two-week period or that that number would bring the deer population in Oak Bay down to what he views as a manageable or historic number.

Meanwhile, an urban deer cull in Cranbrook stopped suddenly March 6 after four traps on private property were vandalized a day earlier and rendered useless.

Oak Bay cull opponent Kristy Kilpatrick said there was “zero suggestion” of vandalizing traps in Oak Bay.

“People just want to know that the deer have a witness and are frustrated that if, as the provincial vet and the mayor and CAO [chief administrative officer] of Oak Bay have said, the procedure is humane, why this is all so shrouded in secrecy.”

Oak Bay’s cull contract specifies that the traps, roughly the size of a double hockey net, must be checked for deer every 24 hours and baited every evening.

Oak Bay’s mayor said the contractor in charge of the cull is an expert who has been cited by the BC SPCA for his good work.

Some residents and deer advocates also expressed concern about the lack of news about the cull but Jensen said this was to maintain safety and order around the cull.

DeerSafe sent out more than 5,600 notices to Oak Bay and area households asking to be notified of any evidence of the deer cull so they could make a video recording.

ceharnett@timescolonist.com

- with files from Katherine Dedyna

Vandalism ends deer cull in Cranbrook

Posted: March 6, 2015
City will apply for additional Wildlife Permit for the fall
Vandalism of four provincially owned clover traps overnight Thursday has resulted in the City of Cranbrook ending this spring’s urban deer population reduction program ahead of schedule.

A clover trap, similar to the vandalized devices in Cranbrook.

Around 5:30 a.m. Friday morning, city contractors making their early morning rounds discovered the four traps had the netting slashed making them unusable. All of the traps were located on private property. Cranbrook RCMP was immediately notified and an investigation is underway.
“We have decided to halt the cull,” said City of Cranbrook Mayor Lee Pratt. “We are 100% behind the RCMP and fully support their investigation. If the results of the investigation warrant, we will pursue criminal or civil action against those responsible.”
The program began on Sunday, February 22, with the setup and baiting of traps and concluded overnight Thursday, March 5, with a total of four mule deer being captured and euthanized over an approximate 11-day trapping period.
The breakdown of the mule deer captured is as follows: one adult buck and three adult does.
Although there was provision in the Wildlife Permit to capture and euthanize both mule deer and incidental whitetail deer, the contractor was instructed by the city and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (MFLNRO) to release any captured whitetail deer, if it was deemed safe to do so, for both the deer and the contractor.
Two whitetail deer, one buck and one doe, were captured during the program. Both were released by the contractors unharmed.
The Wildlife Permit was issued to the City of Cranbrook on October 7, 2014 by the MFLNRO, was valid from December 1, 2014 and expires on March 15.
All of the mule deer were processed and the meat distributed to three local organizations to be used for human consumption. This process was clearly identified in the guidelines embedded in the Wildlife Permit provided by MFLNRO. All meat preparation was conducted by a qualified local butcher and processed in a facility inspected and approved by both Interior Health and MFLNRO, the city reported today (March 6).
The specific zones of the city to be targeted for the population reduction program were approved by resolution of council. That recommendation was based on complaints received by city staff from the public in 2014 along with the results of the urban deer population count conducted in December 2014.
The locations of the traps were determined by city staff based on this information along with complaints received by the provincial toll-free Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line and priority areas identified by the Conservation Officer Service in 2014.
The cull results indicate to staff that the clover traps were placed in the best strategic locations possible to minimize the chances of capturing whitetail deer, the city noted.
Two individuals/companies, who had previously approached the City of Cranbrook interested in conducting the cull program, were invited to submit a quote for service in February.
The contract was awarded by resolution of council with the approved budget of $12,750. The program will be well below budget.
The city is waiting on the final invoice from the contractor. Built into the cost per animal includes: placement and tear down of each clover trap, purchase of bait and supplies, liability insurance, provincially mandated equipment training, mileage, vehicle cleaning; processing, packaging and distribution of the meat and all associated contractor administration costs.
“We will be working with the province to determine the best method to continue to reduce the local urban deer population,” stated Mayor Pratt. “We still believe there is a strong public safety issue, so whether it will be a cull or relocation — we will be applying for another permit for this fall.”
The city is also working with the City of Kimberley, District of Elkford and District of Invermere on trying to create a relocation program, not as an alternative to culls but to determine the viability moving forward.
An anti deer cull demonstration was staged outside Cranbrook city hall on March 4.
This is not the first time clover traps have been vandalized during culls in the region, as both Invermere and Kimberley have experienced incidents in the past two years.
e-KNOW

Animal Alliance pledges $10,000 for translocation study

by  Carolyn Grant - Kimberley Daily Bulletin
posted Feb 23, 2015 at 8:00 AM

As reported in the Bulletin last week, the Animal Alliance, a national animal rights group, is willing to hit B.C. in the wallet to protest the treatment of animals. They are mounting an anti-wolf cull campaign to try to keep people from visiting British Columbia.

However, the group is also willing to put their money into non-lethal methods at wildlife management. To that end the group has pledged $10,000, matching City of Kimberley’s contribution, towards a study into translocating deer.

Mayor Don McCormick says that the City will take Animal Alliance up on the offer, though it has yet to be formally approved by Council.

Liz White, Campaign Director for Animal Alliance, says that ever since deer culls began to become a wildlife management tool in British Columbia, her group has been advocating looking for alternatives. However, she says, relocation of deer is not without problems and must be approached with a degree of caution.

“Something is going on with the mule deer population in the East Kootenay in the wild,” she said.

“The population is in decline and the Ministry hasn’t done the studies to determine why. If the external environment can’t support the current population, how can it support additional animals?”

White says there may be parts of the East Kootenay where mule deer are doing well and could support translocated animals, but there is also the issue of predation.

“Translocated deer are under a high degree of stress and it appears that they are more vulnerable to predators,” White said.

Despite these concerns, the idea of looking at non-lethal methods is a very positive one, White says.

“We just want to see animals treated with the greatest compassion and humaneness.”

Oak Bay takes province to task over deer control

This Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations photo shows a modified clover trap like those proposed for use in an Oak Bay deer cull.

— image credit: Photo submitted

• by  Christine van Reeuwyk - Oak Bay News
  
• posted Feb 12, 2015 at 2:00 PM

Speakers called for a halt to the deer cull and Oak Bay council crafted a resolution to ask the province for more help with its deer issues on Monday night.
Among the seven speakers at the council meeting Feb. 10 were a pair of Saanich residents as well as visitors Liz White and Barry McKay of Animal Alliance Canada.
“There’s nothing new here,” McKay said of the rift in the community.
“Culling doesn’t work and sometimes has the paradoxical cycle of increased population,” he added.
Oak Bay resident speakers also called for a halt to the cull, including Kristy Kilpatrick who reiterated concerns over lack of signage, public education and a survey of the community. Kilpatrick added she feels those leading the pilot project are presenting “false choices” between culling and doing nothing.
“It takes courage to stop things mid-way,” she said.
A supporter of the cull spoke last in the 20-minute public participation period. Andrew Stinson noted that deer was a hot topic during the election and the mayoral candidate in favour of a cull won the vote.
“I firmly believe Oak Bay has a mandate to carry out the cull,” he said. “Do not listen to the minority of Oak Bay.”
While the opponents of the cull were greeted with applause, Stinson’s comments were booed.
The crowd stayed to hear Oak Bay’s plan to ask the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities to take the province to task on its deer.
During the AVICC annual general meeting and convention, municipal governments gather to bring forward issues and concerns from their individual communities through resolutions and debates.
Oak Bay will ask AVICC to request the province provide resources including conservation officers and urban wildlife biologists, and build necessary partnerships with Health Canada and local governments to address deer over population.
Coun. Michelle Kirby made the motion that asserts the resources, authority and responsibility to manage ungulate populations lies with the province. The preamble also says the combination of favourable habitats, no natural predators and the inability to allow hunting have contributed to expanding populations and exacerbated the problem of human-deer conflict in urban settings.
“This is a burden on our small municipality and we don’t have that expertise,” said Kirby. “We can’t meet the needs of the community. … They’re downloading this responsibility and they need to own it.”
It’s a resolution that has been put forth before by communities such as Kimberley, Kirby found, but this includes an angle of creating partnerships and including Health Canada, which Oak Bay believes could allow for immunocontraception to be considered a viable option.
“I consider it a symbolic motion,” said Coun. Eric Zhelka “I don’t see this will result in any action.  At least we can try.”
The deadline for resolutions to the AVICC is Feb. 23, and as per usual practice Oak Bay’s motion will go out to other councils in search of support.
All members of council plan to attend the AVICC annual general meeting and convention in Courtenay from April 10 to 12.

cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com

Couple cancels stay

Oak Bay News
Letters to the Editor
Feb 3, 2015

After reading a feature article in the Globe and Mail, my wife and I became quite dismayed over this needless kill of deer in Oak Bay.  Upset enough that we have now cancelled a two-night stay and dinner out with four others at two Oak Bay businesses.  After a brief discussion it was the same opinion of others involved to cancel as well.  It was concluded the only power we had was to not spend any more money in Oak Bay and encourage others to do the same.
This is our form of protest of  what we believe is a needless kill,  especially when there are other non-lethal options as outlined in the Globe article.  Wildlife biologist Rick Page says “Ecologically the deer are not a threat” and supports the stop of the cull.  We  also believe that the Oak Bay mayor is fear-mongering.
My wife Elaine Tanner  (ex Olympian triple medalist swimmer) visits Oak Bay frequently having relatives in the area.  Both of us have noticed over the years the absence of squirrels in Oak Bay parks and streets.  Elaine wonders if they have met the same fate as the deer.  As far as the deer creating a serious safety issue for cyclists, people should be more concerned about humans – with crazy car drivers or poor lighting  on roads or inadequate bike lanes – than an  occasional defenceless deer.
We are cancelling accommodations and dinner for six  that was scheduled this week in Oak Bay.
Elaine asked me to pass on the following  quote: “There are only two things which are infinite, the universe and mankind’s stupidity, and I am not so sure about the former.” – Albert Einstein.
John Watt & Elaine Tanner
White Rock, B.C.