Stop The Culling Of Hamilton's Deer
- by: Faith Campbell and Animal Alliance of Canada
- recipient: Mayor Fred Eisenberger and Members of Council
Deer are under attack by wildlife managers throughout North America. Persistent human encroachment into deer habitat have resulted in conflicts between deer and people. Governments claim that deer populations are "overabundant", their numbers higher than at any time in the past. They make statements about deer without any data or science to support their claims. As a result of the "hyperabundance" categorization, governments argue that deer are causing more vehicular collisions, agricultural and forest damage and present health risks through ticks carrying Lyme disease.
Consequently, wildlife managers advocate that more deer be killed during hunting season and that hunting seasons be extended. They advocate culling of deer in parks and protected areas because they claim that the deer are damaging forest habitats. And they advocate hunting in urban settings were deer habituate urban river valleys and green spaces.
Animal Alliance has actively opposed all lethal management of deer through municipal councils and provincial governments. The case of the Sifton Bog deer in London, Ontario provides a good example of a human-wildlife conflict situation. The municipal council, conservation authority and wildlife managers are advocating lethal cull of all but eight of the 50 deer who reside in the bog. The animal protection community and many area residents oppose the cull.
Please sign this petition and lets stop this cruel and unnecessary killing.
Hamilton City Centre
77 James St. North
P.O.Box 2040, LCD1
Hamilton, ON L8R 2K3
Telephone: 905.546.4200
Fax: 905.546.2340
Email: mayorfred@hamilton.ca
Dear Mayor and Members of Hamilton City Council,
I am writing to ask you not to implement a cull of the deer in Iroquoia Heights
Conservation Area. I urge you to implement an integrated human-deer conflict
prevention and non-lethal intervention programme for the City of Hamilton. Please
consider some of the following suggestions:
Comprehensive prevention and non-lethal intervention programme for Iroquoia Heights
deer:
1. Stop the feeding of deer: Visitors to the area bring food for the deer. This encourages
the congregation of larger numbers of deer than would occur if food was not provided.
The City should educate residents and visitors why feeding deer at Iroquoia Heights
may increase conflicts and result in a proposal to kill many of them.
2. Excluding the deer from conflict areas and from specific plants and bushes through
fencing: Fencing provides a longer term solution to the impact of deer on landscaping,
backyard gardens and bog plants.
3. Using repellents to make plants less palatable and less desirable to deer and
deterrents to deter the deer: Repellents and deterrents are options to be used as part of
an integrated non-lethal plan.
4. Planting less palatable landscape plants: City staff should consider using native
plants that are rarely or seldom damaged when rehabilitating degraded areas of the
conservation area. Residents whose yards back on or are close to the area should
consider plants that are largely unattractive to deer.
Sincerely,
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