Re: Group seeks non-lethal solution to deer problem, B次元官网网址, Feb. 17, 2012.
Whether or not deer were here before people is irrelevant. Today they are coming because the food is better and there are fewer serious predators.
And some wildlife biologists donB次元官网网址檛 think it is proper for deer to eat the richer urban food, as it is not natural for them.
Aboriginal people harvested deer for food and hides and encouraged animals by clearing underbrush and felling trees to create meadows.
The practice happens near Port Angeles and in Australia. Doing so increased the quantity of animals for human use. Much of todayB次元官网网址檚 suburban areas have lots of interface, with gardens as a bonus.
As for killing methods, any objector who isnB次元官网网址檛 vegetarian should ask how their meat is obtained. They should check into the portable abattoirs.
The B.C. governmentB次元官网网址檚 substantive review of ways to manage deer populations found only one method to keep their numbers reasonable in urban areas B次元官网网址� periodic culling. The report detailed how some cities harvested deer and provided the dressed meat to food banks.
Deer and their cousins are farmed in Canada and around the world, including caribou called reindeer on the Yamal Peninsula of Russia. It seems many people there have never lacked for food.
People should be glad they donB次元官网网址檛 live where deerB次元官网网址檚 much larger cousins B次元官网网址� elk, caribou and moose B次元官网网址� wander into towns. Would people object to culling them?
Keith Sketchley
Saanich
