Kimberley's cull delayed due to trap theft

 by  Carolyn Grant - Kimberley Daily Bulletin  
posted Feb 13, 2014 at 11:24 AM

The BC Deer Protection Society out of Invermere is hitting Kimberley with flyers this week as the City’s permitted cull has been delayed because of the theft of government-owned clover traps.

Kimberley Mayor Ron McRae confirmed that the cull hasn’t begun yet, primarily because of the incident  this week where the clover traps were stolen from the Ministry building in Cranbrook and some destroyed.
“We are still on track but we can’t proceed without the traps,” McRae said. “It’s not going to deter us but obviously it will slow us down.”
The traps are owned by the provincial government. McRae was planning to meet with a ministry representative Thursday afternoon to discuss the permit time frame.
The flyers label Kimberley as a good place to waste tax dollars on killing deer and calls Kimberley the deer culling capital of B.C.
Kimberley currently  has a permit to carry out a cull of up to 30 mule deer — 15 from Marysville and 15 from Lower Blarchmont/Chapman Camp. They also had a permit to remove 100 deer two years ago.
The BC Deer Protection Society is the same group which is involved in the law suit against the District of Invermere for their deer cull.
The flyers urge people to contact the mayor and tell him to stop the cull, giving out his direct line at city hall, his cell number and email.
McRae says that the flyers came to the City’s attention early this week. They were put up around town and also on the windshields of cars at the Civic Centre.
McRae says the flyers will be discussed with city staff and there will be some kind of response.
“In the meantime, the public needs to know what kind of tactics this group will go to to achieve their ends.”
Devon Kazakoff of the Deer Protection Society says that his group is simply trying to bring awareness to the citizens of Kimberley as the City embarks on another cull.
“The intent is to get the message out on what the city is planning to do and urge the Mayor not to go through with it.
“We’ve found out it won’t start until the 15th (February). We are hoping to raise awareness and get it stopped.”
Kazakoff says that the Deer Protection Society plans to be there in any community that tries to deal with deer in a way they consider inhumane.
“Last year in Cranbrook they tried to push a cull behind closed doors. We found out and got it out to the public. We got a public apology. A city councillor even said that it was wrong. It’s not right to try to hide from people.”