Deer make themselves at home outside an Okanagan residence.
Image Credit: B.C. Conservation Service
April 18, 2018 - 2:15 PM
PENTICTON - Penticton residents hoping for a new direction from the city with respect to urban deer control had their hopes dashed yesterday evening after a discussion on the issue failed to change present policy.
A letter from a Strata Corporation, presented in March, that outlined the impact urban deer were having on the strata residents’ quality of life precipitated council’s request for an updated report and recommendation from city staff.
The report was delivered to council at yesterday evening’s session, April 17.
Planning manager Blake Laven said the B.C. Conservation Service fields 200 calls annually for deer within city limits, 80 per cent of those in relation to injured deer. The office does receive calls for aggressive deer, but has never had to put one down because of aggressive behaviour.
Laven said the prevalence of deer has increased in Penticton over the past two decades mainly due to extensive fencing in the city’s agricultural area that has forced deer into the city, only to have no way out. The urban deer have been in the city for a couple of generations and are losing their fear of humans.
The city adopted some recommendations stemming from a 2011 deer management strategy, electing to deal with the issue on a case-by-case basis after deciding a cull or relocation program would not be cost effective.
The city’s present course of action also has city staff sitting on a regional deer management committee organized by the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen.
Laven recommended continuing work with the committee, and utilizing more effectively the regional district’s staff member who is mandated to work on urban deer management, saying the city had let the relationship slide a bit, and needed to re-engage.
Some council members expressed a need to do more with mayor Andrew Jakubeit calling the issue a “polarizing one that tended to go to the back burner.” He called for continuing discussion with other municipalities to see what options were available.
Both Coun. Helena Konanz and Coun. Judy Sentes called on the province to relax municipal restrictions on deer control in order to allow the city to “do something.”
A motion from Coun. Andre Martin to have staff prepare a Request for Proposals to hire a wildlife consultant and develop an urban deer strategy was defeated, with council subsequently passing the recommended motion to maintain the city’s present urban deer policy.
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