ACTION NEEDED: 25 Deer Sentenced to Death in Oak Bay – Write City Hall Now!

A deer spotted on Richardson Street.

Oak Bay City Hall has announced that they’re planning to exterminate 25 deer over the next year (see Times Colonist article here). Killing animals is a brutal and barbaric decision, and is rarely effective in reducing their numbers long-term. Nature is resilient, and often even more animals return due to the upset of their settlement – “nature abhors a vacuum”. The same elements that are attracting deer now remain, and will only continue to draw in more deer.

Additionally, this thinking only institutes a costly and never-ending bloodbath. What happens in 2015? Another deer kill at $12,500? And the year after – another $12,500? How many years along do we overspend the amount it would take to make happy the few who complain? If the money were invested in deer-proofing their yards instead, we could all get along.

There are ways to resolve the problems people have without killing, and we must look into these options – deer deserve our respect, not captive bolt-gun shots to the head.

ACTION: PLEASE WRITE OAK BAY MAYOR NILS JENSEN AND CITY COUNCIL, AND TELL THEM KILLING DEER IS UNACCEPTABLE, AND THAT BETTER OPTIONS EXIST.

Deer snacking in the Ross Bay Cemetery.

You can write to:

Oak Bay Municipal Hall
2167 Oak Bay Ave
Victoria, BC V8R 1G2
Fax: (250) 598-9108

Or email:
oakbaymayor@oakbay.ca
obcouncil@oakbay.ca

In addition to the points described above, some topics to consider including in your letter:

• There is a bylaw against feeding wildlife, but it is poorly enforced. Between 2007 & 2012 there were only 5 tickets issued. Plenty of people grow plants that attract deer, and are breaking the bylaw, yet Oak Bay does nothing about it.
• The number 25 is totally arbitrary, no one knows what kind of impact this will have and is literally a shot in the dark.
• The total cost of the project is $12,500 or $500/deer. If they’re planning to implement this over 10 years, that’s $125,000. This money could be used to help people who are having problems instead.
• We need to change our own behavior. Managing deer is near-impossible. We have total control over ourselves, and can grow plants that deer are less interested in. We can adapt our behaviours in other ways that would allow for co-existence with deer.
• Deer were here first – we’re filling up and denying them what was originally their space. Deer belong here, and that is the attitude we must adopt.

Thank-you for speaking up for deer, and please share this action - let’s work together to find a peaceful solution!

A deer visiting a Fairfield home.

Dave Shishkoff
Canadian Correspondent
Friends of Animals
Web Site: http://FriendsofAnimals.org
Victoria: http://TheVictoriaVegan.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2496490922
Twitter: http://Twitter.com/FoA_Victoria
FoA Vegan Starter Guide PDF: http://bit.ly/foa-vsg