Longueuil Will Relocate Deer Instead Of Killing Them & The Mayor Says It's Due To Threats
Animal rights activists have won this round.
The City of Longueuil has decided to relocate some deer that were overpopulating a local park in Quebec rather than carry out a "control operation," as previously planned, that would see them culled.
Mayor of Longueuil Sylvie Parent announced her decision in a Facebook post on November 23.
The city received severe backlash and threats from Quebecers in response to its decision to euthanize the problematic deer overpopulating Parc Michel-Chartrand and donate the game meat to local food banks.
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Despite the measure initially [...] approved by the Quebec Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks and supported by a broad consensus within the scientific community, [we are forced] to consider another option.
Longueuil mayor Sylvie Parent
"The threat posed today by some people in order to harm or [thwart] the implementation of the one-off control operation of the deer population in Parc Michel-Chartrand forces us to consider another option," the statement said.
"I asked the Director General of the City of Longueuil to take all means to [...] allow the movement of 15 white-tailed deer from Parc Michel-Chartrand to an authorized site."
On November 18, MTL Blog reported that Longueuil police had arrested a man for threats against Parent and were investigating two other cases of threats against Quebec's elected officials in relation to the operation.
A petition opposing the deer cull has garnered more than 38,000 signatures.
According to the mayor, the city's relocation of the deer will be carried out in the coming weeks.