Longueuil Will Relocate Deer Instead Of Killing Them & The Mayor Says It's Due To Threats
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.Â
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.Â
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.
AÂ petition opposing the deer cull has garnered more than 38,000 signatures.Â
According to the mayor, the city's relocation of the deer will be carried out in the coming weeks.
