Yogi Bear is known to know no boundaries, to invade and essentially to disrupt lives of others. (Wow. That makes him sound really hateful, doesn’t it?) So what sets deer and the Yogi bear apart?
Apparently the “summer snow” comprised of residue from trees, weeds and grass aren’t the only things strong- growing. If you see a bunny or a deer on your lawn, many of us would probably comment on how cute it is or how amazing it is that this stray animal is on your property. Or maybe you’re like my parents, shooing animals away in case they poop on the lawn. But this “Bambi conundrum” (as the Epoch Times puts it) has been reportedly increasing in BC.
Some of the incidents in BC regarding deers:
1. A female deer jumping a two-metre fence, up the deck and charging at a child
2. The same deer trampling on a dog
3. Vehicle collisions
4. Agricultural damage such as eating shrubs
5. Some deer carry tisks with Lyme disease
6. Chasing a young newspaper boy until he hid under a vehicle
Reports regarding deer problems have only been increasing in recent years. During the spring, female deer react strongly to protecting their offspring and during the fall male deers become aggressive.
The video below displays the protectiveness of a female deer. WARNING: may not be appropriate for viewers sensitive to violence.
[youtube l0DkEcZ_k8Q]But what are the people doing about this? At Helena, Montana, deer are euthanized (put to death painlessly), cleaned and taken to a butcher where the meat is processed and donated to Helena Food Share to provide deer burgers for families in need.
Is that the best solution? I don’t know about you, but deer meat doesn’t sound so appetizing. (I’d rather pig out on Stampede foods.) As for any controversy, there are two argumentative sides. One that argues that deer and humans can coexist, and the other that demands reduction in deer population sizes. BC municipalities are considering to resolve the problem by introducing plants/flowers that deer won’t eat and building up fences (higher than two metres?).
But of course, a non-lethal method would be preferrable. Additionally, is the lethal method a good solution? Killing a certain amount of deer will only solve the problem temporarily because the population can maintain itself.
Rodney Wiebe of BC Wildlife Federation suggests culls (removing animals from a particular area). He believes it will be effective in turning deer into nocturnal animals, and that they will learn, behaviourally, to avoid light hours.
He states that members of the Wildlife Federation comprise of members with hunting experience who are willing to take on the culling duty. So…he basically wants to recruit men with hunting expertise and hand out a bunch of permits to kill deer. Will it be as effective as he thinks?
What do you think is the best solution? And furthermore, maybe this has changed your outlook on deer and refuse to watch Bambi from this point on. (That was strictly not intentional.)
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