Letter to the Editor

Kudos to City of Cranbrook council for rejecting the squeaky wheel aka, Invermere Deer Protection Society (IDPS). The recent decision to approve the cull is a bitter pill to the sometimes violent and vocal animal rights activists that have been drawn to this issue.

The IDPS campaign has morphed from wanting to be involved in local discussions two years ago to the animal rights world bearing down on the Kootenays. Animal Alliance of Canada (AAC) staged a protest on the highway in Cranbrook on Feb. 17 waving placards decrying the city’s decision to proceed with a deer cull.

Liz White, a full-time staff member of the Toronto-based AAC, was front and center along with Devin Kazakoff president of the IDPS. Ironic that the IDPS has to bring in the AAC to advocate for the deer that are a threat  to pets and people.  On the AAC webpage she tweeted on Feb. 17 “Animal_Alliance @Animal_Alliance Landed in Cranbrook on a tiny plane. Out now looking for deer traps pic.twitter.com/IDyseTcK.”  What reason would they have to “monitor” other than to tamper or interfere with the lawfully set traps? For all their pontificating, posturing and thinly veiled threats five people, two of whom don’t live in Cranbrook,  shows that they have no support.

What galls most people, myself included, is that these activists will not accept that domesticated deer present a clear and present danger to people and pets. My experience as a Conservation Officer in the Kootenays, until I retired recently, gives me the background to weigh in on the dangers of domesticated deer. I attended numerous deer/ human/ dog interactions in Kimberley and Cranbrook.  I have seen the cuts and bruises done to dog owners as they tried break up a fight between their dog and a deer.  I have witnessed the desperation in the dog owner’s eyes as they watched the last bit of life eke out of their pet after a deer stomped it into the ground. I intervened in a deer bearing down on a young girl with her dog on a leash. If I hadn’t drove over the curb and cut the deer off there would have been serious injuries to the dog and likely to the girl. When you add in the damage to landscapes and gardens the situation is compounded by the financial loss to homeowners. The IDPS solution is to chase them out of town with dogs or just leave them alone. Deer should not be herded with dogs; it’s like pushing water uphill. Deer will usually bolt right into oncoming traffic resulting in more damage and the death of the deer.

Domesticated deer are a threat both in the spring and fall regardless of where you find them. The threat is elevated in town where deer have been protected by the Bambi syndrome. “We invaded their home” – “they were here first” is an escape from reality. Big game does not belong in the city; they never did and never should.

Wildlife in town attracts predators, I know; I’ve chased many cougars and bears out of schoolyards and back alleys of towns in the Kootenays.

If you don’t like the cull, hunting, trapping, resource extraction and all other things which are not on your ethical list, move from the Kootenays and find like-minded people who protest the things that make your life better. If you choose to stay in the Kootenays and live in harmony with nature go out into the wilds and live as one with the deer; you won’t last long.

To the people who don’t live in these communities, let alone this province or country, fix your own problems before coming to our rescue, we honestly don’t need your input. To the protestors, petitioners and dozen or so members of the IDPS – get over it, move on and try to do something productive for the community. You are becoming a nuisance much like the deer.

Paul Visentin,

Cranbrook

Article Share