Longueuil will euthanize the majority of deer in Michel-Chartrand Park in the fall of 2022.
Posted at 6:02 p.m.
Although the City of Longueuil has already received all the permits allowing it to reduce the deer population in the park, the administration has decided to postpone the operation to the fall of 2022 for technical reasons.
Indeed, only 30 deer could have been euthanized during the winter, “which is not enough to have a significant effect on the overpopulation of the species within the park grounds”, affirmed by way of communicated the Mayor of Longueuil, Catherine Fournier.
More than 50 deer must be euthanized to reduce the population to what the ecosystem can support, which is between 10 and 15.
The opinion of the experts
The mayor’s office opted for the euthanasia of the animals, rather than relocation, since this is the recommendation of the consultation table set up by the City.
“The only viable option in the short term to obtain lasting results is to proceed as early as 2022 with the reduction of the size of the herd by a method of capture and euthanasia in order to reach the support capacity of the park”, could we read in the report of the consultation table on the ecological balance and preservation of Michel-Chartrand Park published last November.
Once the operation is completed, the administration wishes to consider long-term control methods, such as sterilization, as recommended in the report.
Currently, the overpopulation of deer prevents the natural environment from regenerating and presents a danger of spreading parasites, such as the blacklegged tick that can cause Lyme disease.
“The population who frequent the park see the damage and understand that we have reached a point of no return which forces us to act this year, despite the pressure”, declared in a press release Jonathan Tabarah, municipal councilor for the Parc-District. Michel Chartrand.
With Jean-Thomas Léveillé, The Press