Wise decision
I love animals, I hate hunting, but when a herd threatens the environment and even its own population which will eventually be unable to feed themselves, I can completely understand. It’s logic. Especially since we are not announcing carnage, but euthanasia and, in addition, people in need will be able to benefit from the meat. Wise decision of Mme Fournier. It takes courage and I congratulate it.
Lisette David
A presence that goes beyond the boundaries of the park
I hope she can proceed, because I am from Longueuil and I can tell you that these deer come to our yards and eat our vegetable gardens, our flowers during the summer and our cedars during the winter.
Françoise Paquin, Longueuil
The only solution for the ecosystem
So agree! We have wasted too much time on this file. If all of the deer slaughter opponents were vegetarians, I could understand, but I doubt they were. How is a bambi more valuable than an ox or a hen? I went to Michel Chartrand Park this summer and it is obvious that the ecosystem is threatened. We can’t wait for the only viable solution to be implemented.
Julie Villeneuve, Verdun
No need to be a specialist
I agree 100% with Philippe Mercure’s editorial concerning the deer of Longueuil. I have lived close to the Michel-Chartrand park for over 30 years. You don’t have to be an expert to realize how much the vegetation in the park has degraded. And it is completely abnormal to walk in our streets and meet several deer there (I have already seen nine, on my small lot) which are desperately looking for food. I admire the willingness of our new mayor to make the decisions necessary to resolve this problem. And also to be concerned about the measures that will have to be put in place to find a beautiful biodiversity in our urban park.
Louise Côté, Longueuil
Would the move now be too risky?
What I do not understand in this debate is that at the beginning of the last century, dozens of deer were moved from the Gaspé to populate Anticosti Island… with success! Today, with modern means, scientists tell us that it is not possible to move them without risk for the survival of these animals! Let’s face it, it’s debatable!
Jacques Turmel
Rethinking the layout
Beyond the means that will have to be taken to reduce this uncontrolled deer population, the whole issue of migratory passes in peri-urban areas must be promoted, because the problem is not new in Longueuil. In the absence of natural predators in inhabited areas, the necessary arrangements must be created in order to continuously redirect the surplus populations to the surrounding woods, where hunting and natural predation activities will be present.
Pierre Walsh Lebel, forestry engineer, Sainte-Julie
The hunt still exists
Let’s stop the hypocrisy and assume. Hunting, initially for subsistence and more recently for sport, has been practiced across Canada and Quebec for hundreds, even thousands of years and is still completely legal. In addition, the majority of the population consumes meat. So, if an environment is threatened by an overpopulation of deer, we do not have to inefficiently use our tax dollars to please a tiny minority when other needs are urgent.
Pierre Lemelin
The irony of the situation
Although I agree with the mayor’s decision, you could still have pointed out the irony of the situation. Sixty deer destroying a park, while humans are the main cause of the destruction of ecosystems. And let’s not talk about human overpopulation …
Martin Lavoie, biologist
The moving of animals can be
It is not courageous. It is possible to move these deer within a radius of 150 km. There are several woodland owners who would have been delighted to receive these deer.
Robert nault
Prevent the uncontrollable
I am one of those people who like to watch deer when I go for a walk in the regional park. However, I totally agree with the mayor’s decision. If the City of Longueuil does not act now, the number of deer will double again. Last year, we were talking about 30 deer in the park, next year it will be 120. It would get out of hand and there would be accidents endangering motorists in the surrounding area.
Claudette Beland
The deer victims of our invasion
I have lived next to Michel-Chartrand Park for 15 years. I frequent him almost daily. I was able to see the harmful effects of the overpopulation of deer on the flora of the park, but also on the deer themselves, many of which show signs of undernourishment. I like to rub shoulders with these beautiful animals, but I am aware that we are responsible for the living conditions that the invasion and the encirclement of their territory have imposed on them. I fully agree with the decision to impose a painless end to them. It is our responsibility.
Diane dulong