This is an urgent alert about a cruel and violent undertaking that is about to be carried out by a federal agency with a seemingly endless budget.
Parks Canada plans to kill all the deer on Sidney Island, a small island off of the coast of British Columbia. Fallow Deer, an introduced species, and native Black-tailed Deer will all be massacred. Every last deer!
Sadly it is likely too late to stop the slaughter, which began last year. But we must keep fighting for those deer, and do all we can to ensure that this degree of bloodshed and abuse of public funds is not allowed to take place again.
Stop the Killing – Parks Canada Must Modernize
The wildlife ‘managers’ of Parks Canada seem unwilling to modernize and diversify their approach to management of national parklands. It’s evident that resistance to change within this federal agency is strong. It might be that the only hope to end the ongoing brutality is to convince their funders that it is no longer politically expedient to allow Parks Canada to run unchecked.
Parks Canada is directed and funded by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the Honourable Stephen Guilbeault is the Minister. So far, he has been unresponsive to pleas to rein in the easy acceptance of violence within the agency his ministry oversees. Yet, he has the power to bring about organizational change.
How You Can Help:
We urge you to phone or email the federal minister responsible, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada. His contact information is provided below.
You can state simply that you are against the deer eradication program on Sidney Island, and want Parks Canada to stop killing wild animals in all its parks.
Apparently Unlimited Funds Available to Kill Wild Animals
The federal government struggles to balance the budget. Funding is being cut from essential services and the ripples are felt across the country. But when it comes to wiping out wild animals, no expense seems too high!
Parks Canada has approved a shamefully bloated budget of $5.9 million for this phase of the planned deer eradication program. Non-Canadian gunners have been brought in to kill the deer because Parks Canada claims they require specialists to do the killing, meaning shooters who have already killed a lot of wild animals. The total budget to complete their “restoration plan” for Sidney Island is over $12 million dollars (and counting).
Dogs trained in two different ways will be used against the deer. ‘Scent’ dogs will track the deer, then ‘Bailer’ or ‘Bay’ dogs will chase them down, keeping them from escaping while the shooters rush in to kill. The deer will experience panic and terror with no chance of escape before being killed.
Restricted Weapons Designed for War Used to Slaughter Deer
The killing started last winter when gunners used restricted assault rifles designed for war to shoot deer from helicopters. Parks Canada and the RCMP have admitted that the weapons used were CZ Bren 2 Ms rifles, used by military in various nations.
These weapons of war were chosen by Parks Canada instead of using non-lethal measures like immunocontraception. Immunocontraception has already been shown to be effective in the community of Oak Bay on Vancouver Island. Fewer fawns were born with this contraceptive method. Residents of Sidney Island proposed the non-lethal alternative to reduce the deer population, but the proposal was rejected. We also urged Parks Canada to allow us to observe the eradication process, as the public has a right to transparency of government-funded actions. This, too, was rejected. The killing will take place unobserved, hidden from the eyes of the public.
The Fight Continues
We have seen Parks Canada’s deadly determination to ‘manage’ natural lands according to their own design, no matter how violent the means, no matter the cost. This apparent animosity toward wild animals leads them to adopt plans like this, to eradicate every last deer on Sidney Island.
We will not give up, and we urge you to make the same resolution. No matter how long it takes Canada’s wildlife management agencies must be reined in. So we stiffen our resolve and fight on, as we know that more deer, cormorants, wolves, coyotes and other wild beings will continue to be in the crosshairs until Parks Canada is forced to modernize.
Hold Them Accountable!
It has become clear that Parks Canada will not change if we don’t demand it. We urge you to contact the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Honourable Stephen Guilbeault:
If you wish, you can also:
- Express your opposition to lethal wildlife management programs in general.
- Demand that non-lethal methods be fully implemented as established practice within Parks Canada.
- Urge the minister to establish a committee that will include community members, animal advocates and other conservationists who are not tied to the hunting and angling communities to review the management methods that are available and to make recommendations.
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
Mail can be sent postage-free.
E-mail: Steven.Guilbeault@parl.gc.ca
Phone: 613-992-6779
To learn more, please visit our blog.
Liz White
Honourary Director, Animal Alliance of Canada
Leader, Animal Protection Party of Canada
Resources:
https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/488784/Parks-Canada-to-spend-12M-on-Sidney-Island-deer-kill-restoration-documents-show#488784
https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/489045/Parks-Canada-defends-12M-Sidney-Island-deer-kill-ecological-restoration#489045
https://thegunblog.ca/2024/05/06/sidney-island-deer-cull-used-cz-bren-2-ms-rifles-and-30-round-mags/
