Although it has obtained the required permit from the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks to kill deer in Michel-Chartrand Park, the City of Longueuil has decided to postpone the operation until the fall.
The City planned to euthanize at least sixty deer by the end of February, but Mayor Catherine Fournier’s office indicated on Tuesday that an operation carried out before the spring would not have had the expected effect.
“Although we have obtained the various permits allowing us to move forward, technical factors mean that the target of the operation would have been limited to 30 deer for this winter, which is not enough to have a significant effect on the overpopulation of the species within the park,” explained Mayor Fournier in a press release. “Since we want to minimize the number of interventions, this is the most reasonable schedule in the circumstances. »
The fall will be more conducive to a “larger scale” operation that will allow the City to achieve its herd reduction targets, the mayor explained: “Once the herd is reduced to the capacity to support the park, we will be able to consider long-term control methods, such as sterilization, as provided for in the report of the Table de concertation”.
Orientation chosen
Last November, the City announced its intention to kill some sixty deer because of their overpopulation, which threatens the ecosystems of Michel-Chartrand Park. This decision was made in light of the recommendations of a consultation table made up of environmental experts, local groups and Longueuil residents. Before the holidays, Catherine Fournier had said she wanted to carry out the operation before the spring calving period.
The City of Longueuil recently obtained the permits required to carry out this operation, namely the certificate of good animal care from the ethics committee of the University of Montreal as well as the permit issued by the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks.
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