Montreal intends to cull some 140 white-tailed deer starting next fall in two parks in the east of the island in order to control the population.
Faced with an overpopulation of deer in the Pointe-aux-Prairies and Bois-d’Anjou parks, the City will hire professional shooters to reduce their number, thus relying on the recommendations of a committee of experts.
At Pointe-aux-Prairies Park, where aerial inventories made it possible to identify 140 deer, or a density of 46 individuals per km2the objective is to reduce the herd to a population of 15 to 23 individuals in order to achieve a density of 5 to 7.5 deer per km2. In Bois-d’Anjou, where 25 deer were counted, three or four deer will be spared.
After examining other non-lethal solutions, the committee of experts, made up of veterinarians and biologists, recommends that the City proceed with the culling of excess deer.
The option of capturing the animals to relocate them was not retained, because it presents numerous issues, the committee believes. The significant stress caused to the animals is likely to result in a high mortality rate, it has been pointed out. Not only is it difficult to find host territories, but this solution exposes other deer populations to disease transmission.
“It’s an announcement that we would have preferred not to have to make. […] It’s an extremely difficult decision,” admitted Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, responsible for large parks on the executive committee, during the presentation of the City’s plan on Tuesday. She maintains, however, that given the exponential increase in the deer population in recent years, the status quo was not possible. The presence of such a population of deer and their grazing activities have major impacts on fauna, flora and biodiversity, she recalled.
Over the past two years, there have been 86 automobile collisions with deer.
The City will shortly launch a call for tenders to find a firm that will support it in this operation which will begin next fall. According to Mme Lavigne Lalonde, using professional shooters is the safest solution in the urban context of the east of the island.
Once the population has been reduced, the City plans to sterilize the females present in the two parks so as not to have to carry out other slaughters in the future.
In 2021, a report recommended culling around fifty deer, but since then, the deer population has continued to increase. Over the past two years, their number has increased from 65 to 165, an increase of more than 250%.
In Longueuil, the slaughter of deer at Michel-Chartrand Park was at the heart of a legal challenge. The court ultimately ruled in favor of the City. Mayor Catherine Fournier also had to benefit from protection measures due to death threats made against her.
“We cannot predict how citizens will react. Is there going to be an outcry? Maybe, but we rely on the best experts. We are confident that we are making the best decision,” explained Laurence Lavigne Lalonde.