An intervention plan was unveiled on Saturday by the Société des establishments de plein air du Québec (SEPAQ), which plans to reduce the herd of white-tailed deer present in the Mont-Saint-Bruno and Îles-de-Boucherville national parks. .
“The recommendations of the experts and scientists who have analyzed the situation again over the past few months lean strongly in favor of using a lethal herd reduction method, as is done elsewhere in Quebec, Canada and the United States in similar situations,” SEPAQ said in a statement.
Based on the opinions of experts and scientists, SEPAQ asserted that the overpopulation of deer can have impacts on ecosystems and on public health.
The plan will be drawn up over the next few months to decide on the type and place of intervention, but also on the most appropriate period to carry out the felling, which could take place next fall or winter.
“We are talking about more than 200 deer for the two national parks,” said Simon Boivin, spokesperson for SEPAQ, in an email to the QMI Agency.
A density of 15.2 deer per square kilometer is estimated at Parc du Mont-Saint-Bruno, a number that is much higher in Îles-de-Boucherville, with 30.5 deer per square kilometer.
“The ideal density for the natural environment would be five deer per square kilometer”, is it underlined by the SEPAQ.
This announcement comes as it was confirmed at the beginning of February that the deer in Michel-Chartrand Park, in Longueuil, will be euthanized next fall.
After numerous disputes, the City assured that it had received the necessary permits to slaughter around sixty deer.