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City south of Montreal approves fall hunt to control deer population in park

Jul 20, 2022 | 10:05 AM

LONGUEUIL, Que. — A city just south of Montreal is planning a controlled hunt to kill most of the deer living in a local park after the population jumped by almost 50 per cent over the last year. 

Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier said today the deer population must decrease and be controlled to avoid the situation from deteriorating.

Michel-Chartrand Park was home to more than 100 deer in the spring, almost 10 times the number of animals that experts say it can comfortably support.

The city is awaiting a permit from Quebec’s Wildlife Department to carry out a controlled hunt this fall, using crossbows instead of firearms as the park is located in a residential area.

The announcement comes as a challenge of the planned cull filed by animal-rights activists is before Quebec Superior Court.

Coun. Jonathan Tabarah says the deer are contributing to road accidents, an increased transmission of Lyme disease through infected ticks and damage to residents’ property.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 20, 2022

The Canadian Press