The city of Longueuil will be able to kill up to 100 overpopulated white-tailed deer in Michel Chartrand Park. In a decision released Thursday, the appeal court dismissed Sauvetage Animal Rescue, a Longueuil resident, and the Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
The plaintiffs were therefore denied permission to appeal the judgment handed down by the Quebec Supreme Court on August 31.
They object to Longueuil resorting to killing to control the growth of the white-tailed deer population in the park, where the abundance of deer is affecting flora and plant diversity. The city received approval from the Quebec Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks in August 2022.
The chosen method is to entrust hunters with killing animals with a crossbow during a controlled hunt.
This method is denounced by the plaintiffs, who argue for the introduction of non-lethal measures such as contraception or sterilization to save these deer.
In its decision, the Court of Appeal confirms the opinion already expressed by the Supreme Court that the applicants were unable to demonstrate the inappropriateness of the decision and the granting of the SEG permit, a special permit for scientific, educational purposes or wildlife management.
The Court also finds that the City is acting in this matter in the lawful exercise of its statutory powers in the areas of parks, environment, nuisance, health and safety.
Finally, the Court considers that the granting of this authorization is the result of an in-depth analysis that takes into account all options and that the Ministry ensures that the authorization contains all the conditions that allow a slaughter of deer that respects the sensitive animal.
The city will move forward
The city of Longueuil welcomes this ruling. In a press release, Mayor Catherine Fournier confirms that the herd reduction campaign will therefore continue as originally planned.
This decision reassures the population of Longueuil and the district I represent, while the condition of Michel Chartrand Park continues to rapidly deteriorate due to the overpopulation of deer, which further worries citizens [problèmes] Road safety inherent in the area surrounding the park, explained Jonathan Tabarah, councilor for this sector and vice president of the Executive Committee of the City of Longueuil.
The town hall promises that the new schedule for wildlife protection measures will be communicated to the population soon.
From 2017 to the present, the population of white-tailed deer in Michel Chartrand Park has increased from 32 to 117 individuals, according to the ministry, while the natural carrying capacity of this 1.8 km2 site is a maximum of fifteen deer.
The development of the number of deer in Michel Chartrand Park
- In 2017: 32
- In 2021: 72
- In 2022: 108
- In 2023: 117
The end of a saga?
This affair, which has become a real legal and media saga, began in 2020, when the then mayor Sylvie Parent announced that half of the deer in Michel Chartrand Park would be captured and slaughtered in order to preserve the balance of the ecosystem Area.
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A young white-tailed deer, also known as a roe deer, in the middle of the Michel Chartrand Park in Longueuil. (archive photo)
Photo: Radio-Canada / Bernard Barbeau
Following this announcement, the mayor was particularly threatened with death, which was very negatively received by citizens and animal protection organizations who strongly opposed this measure. A petition with 40,000 names was also submitted.
Mayor Parent gave in to pressure and decided to capture the animals, anesthetize them and take them to zoos and authorized locations. However, about fifteen experts interviewed rejected this idea, emphasizing that the project entails numerous risks not only in terms of injury or death to the animals, but also to the safety of people due to the inexperience of the personnel involved.
When Mayor Catherine Fournier’s government came to power, she decided to slaughter surplus game. This measure was challenged in the Supreme Court, which last August upheld the city’s right to slaughter up to 100 animals in Michel Chartrand Park.
Opponents then appealed to the Court of Appeal to try again to prevent a massacre. However, the court rejected this request in the decision issued today.