Montreal hires shooters to eradicate deer overpopulation on east side

The city of Montreal plans to hire gunners to fight an overpopulation of whitetails on the island's east side.

Starting in the fall, the city of Montreal will begin reducing the size of the deer herd in its eastern parks. The city said in a Tuesday press release that there are currently 165 deer in the 25 capacity parks and that the number is growing “at a rapid rate.”

A committee of experts studying the deer population recommended to the city commission that “professional shooters” reduce herds in Pointe-au-Prairie and Bois-d'Anjou parks.

“Decreasing the deer population is not a decision that the city of Montreal takes lightly,” said Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Endension Mayor Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, who is responsible for large parks. “On the basis of the recommendations received, it is necessary and carried out with maximum respect for animals, limiting their suffering as much as possible.”

Lavigne LaLonde said the city is working with a team to study deer movement, which it calls “critical knowledge to evaluate the feasibility of an evidence-based sterilization strategy.”

Aref Salem, leader of Montreal's official opposition, said his Montreal Ensemble party would analyze the experts' recommendations and criticized Mayor Valérie Plante's administration for its long preoccupation with deer.

“We regret that the Plante administration has waited this long to make a decision, despite having recommendations from an expert panel on the status of whitetails east of Montreal since 2021,” Salem said. “Meanwhile, the number of deer has increased and the situation has become difficult,” he says.

The Montreal SPCA was disappointed to learn of the plan.

“We believe that the use of management methods that involve the killing of animals is considered 'unacceptable' and is not acceptable to society today,” said Sophie Gaillard, the SPCA's director of animal welfare, legal and government affairs. “However, we welcome the city's willingness to implement fertility reduction methods as part of a responsible and sustainable long-term management approach.”

The city said it plans to plant 3.7 hectares of parkland in the parks, erect fences, install signage and regularly count animals to protect biodiversity.

The five-year, $2 million project will allow researchers to evaluate birth control measures to “limit population growth” and reduce the need for intervention.

“Sterilization and contraception as means of controlling wildlife populations have proven their effectiveness elsewhere in the world and the SPCA strongly believes they represent the future of wildlife management,” Gaillard said. “The deer problem on Montreal's east side provides an excellent opportunity to test these new methods and contribute to the development of scientific and technical knowledge in this area. The SPCA encourages the City of Montreal to be a leader in this area.”

The expert commission that made the recommendations was made up of biologists and veterinarians, in addition to university teachers.

Jean-Pierre Tremblay, professor of biology at Université Laval, said: “The range of effort required leads us to recommend the use of professional shooters to conduct an efficient, safe operation that complies with guidelines for the care and use of wild animals.” “The committee emphasizes the need for continuing education to facilitate the development of an integrated, sustainable intervention strategy.”

The city says the increased deer population has led to more traffic accidents, ecosystem degradation, food shortages and bird population declines, among other negative impacts.

In addition, deer brought with them black-legged ticks that spread Lyme disease.

The news release adds that alternative solutions, such as moving deer, have been evaluated. The committee did not recommend relocating the deer due to “substantial risks” of fatal injuries or complications, the report said.

The plan in Montreal follows a legal saga in suburban Longueuil, where an appeals court in October rejected a request by animal activists to stop the culling of deer in Michel-Chartrand Park. A court has given the city of Longueuil the green light to kill up to 100 white-tailed deer to control the population.

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