I was delighted to learn that the BCSPCA has taken a stand on the deer cull proposed to take place in Oak Bay. Excerpts of this letter can be found on the BCSPCA website and outline the reasons why culling deer does not work as a population-reduction method.
Deer displaying aggressive behaviour should be reported to the provincial conservation officer to deal with, according to Sara Dubois, the BCSPCA’s manager of wildlife services.
A pilot program using SpayVac as a contraceptive was suggested at the public meeting in Oak Bay last month; this was apparently vetoed by the Capital Regional District as taking too long to reduce the numbers.
If killing the deer has been proven not to work, it seems to me that a long-term solution that would finally reduce the numbers would be a more intelligent and humane path to pursue.
Val Boswell
Victoria
