After Longueuil, the City of Montreal will reduce the population of white-tailed deer in the east of the island, by shooting down between 138 and 147 animals next fall.
A technical and scientific committee made these recommendations to the City, which announced Tuesday that it would move forward with this plan in a few months.
According to the latest count carried out last month by the Ministry of the Environment, there were 140 deer in Pointe-aux-Prairies Park and 25 in Bois d’Anjou.
However, to respect a population density of 5 to 7 deer per square kilometer, it is necessary to kill 117 to 125 in Pointe-aux-Prairies to keep only 15 to 23, and 21 to 22 in Anjou to keep some. 3 to 4.
The current density is 45 animals per square kilometer. The overpopulation of deer harms biodiversity and leads to the disappearance of several plants, while invasive species proliferate, noted the head of Large Parks on the executive committee of the City of Montreal, Laurence Lavigne-Lalonde, at a press conference.
“Since 2021, there has been a 253% increase in the deer population,” she stressed. When we started the process, in 2021, there were 65 deer, but now their number has increased exponentially and we are obliged to act. »
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Collisions
The head of the Grands Parcs also underlined that car collisions with deer in the east of the island were more and more frequent, which raises safety issues: there were 86 accidents of this type in 2022 and 2023, according to data from the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).
The City is therefore launching a call for tenders process to entrust the task of eliminating excess deer to a firm specializing in this type of urban hunting, she announced. The operation should take place next fall.
Do Montreal elected officials fear demonstrations by certain animal rights activists, given the legal challenge that Longueuil had to face and the threats that forced Mayor Catherine Fournier to be placed under police protection?
“We know this is a very sensitive and emotional subject, but with the data we have and the scientific opinions, we believe we are making the best decision in the circumstances,” replied Mme Lavigne-Lalonde.
Longueuil changes its tune
Furthermore, the City of Longueuil took advantage of Montreal’s announcement to reveal that it was changing its method of killing excess white-tailed deer at Michel-Chartrand Park: rather than using crossbows, hunters mandated by the City will use air rifles.
Longueuil announced last December that it would carry out its slaughter operation next fall to eliminate around a hundred animals, after having won its case against opponents following a decision by the Court of Appeal.