Stop The Oppression Permanently

Enlist Sortie Analyze

Deer Slaughter in British Columbia

The BC government has authorized various communities to slaughter deer.

Write to the communities of Kimberley, Invermere, Crankrook, Penticton, Grand Forks and Victoria. Tell them to choose humane methods for controlling the deer 'overpopulation', which is mostly a result of human interference in the first place.

1. Action
2. Statement
3. Evidence

1. Action

You can create your own email or you can copy/modify the one in the statement section. Remember what is required is quantity. Even if your email is not read, its reception will not go unnoticed.

Kimberley, B.C. (Started in January 2012)
Send email to Kimberley politicians

Invermere, B.C. (Temporarily stalled by court injunction)
Send email to Invermere politicians

Cranbrook, B.C. (First city to have killed 25 Deer in December 2011)
Send email to Cranbrook politicians

Penticton, B.C. (Start date to be determined)

Grand Forks, B.C. (Possibly cancelled for now)

Victoria, B.C. (Under consideration by CRD)
Send email to John Ranns, Chair of Deer Management Committee, CRD and Ministers of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources

2. Statement

Below are some sample letters you can copy/paste into your email. You are free to modify these as you wish to or create your own.

2.1 Sample Letter One

Why would you even think about slaughtering deer in your city? Violence only begets violence - at the end of it all, what kind of a message does that send to the children in your community? Should conflicts with wildlife automatically be solved with firearms? There are many humane, non-lethal methods to address human-deer conflicts. Please visit the following webpage: http://www.netandboltcruelty.net/humane.htm

Unless you indicate that deer slaughtering is off your agenda, my family and I will not consider spending our tourist dollars in your city, and we will inform all of our contacts of your unethical behaviour. Do the right thing! Be kind! A timely response to my concerns would be appreciated. Thank you.

2.2 Sample Letter Two

It is remarkable how some politicians choose expediency over rational behaviour. There are many tried and tested humane alternatives to killing deer:
http://www.netandboltcruelty.net/humane.htm

Fortunately, not all politicians cater to violence. Hopefully, yours will not be remembered as those who didn't bother to try the alternatives, because they just wanted to use tax dollars to promote cruelty.

2.3 Sample Letter Three

Please oppose the killing of deer in your township. There are plenty of tried and tested humane alternatives. Because you support violence, I will not spend my tourist dollars there and will also tell my friends not to spend their money in your city.

3. Evidence

Various items related to the campaign at hand appear below. Please inform yourselves and others about the matter.

3.1 Complaint to WorkSafe BC

A complaint has been phoned in to WorkSafe BC targeting all of the communities that are either killing deer or contemplating the act. We have been advised that the issue will be looked into', but to obtain information on the outcome, we must submit a request under the Freedom of Information Act in approximately a month's time.

3.2 City Councils Responsible for the Killings

Note: not all council members necessary support the killing.

Kimberley Council

Bev Middlebrook; Kent Goodwin; Ron McRae (mayor); Jack Ratcliffe; Don McCormick;
Albert Hoglund; (AWOL: Darryl Oakley)

Invermere Council

Susan Hawes; Gerry Taft (mayor); Greg Anderson;
(AWOL: Justin Attenbury; Paul Denchuk)

Cranbrook Council

Sharon Cross; Heath Slee; Wayne Stetski (mayor); Bill Bennett;
David Wilks; Denise Pallesen; Gerry Warner; Angus Davis

3.3 The Cruel Killing Mechanism

Here is information on the Trap & Bolt method for killing deer. Note that BC uses the "clover trap" which is a smaller netted cage that captures the deer.

The method

Trap & Bolt involves luring deer with food and then trapping the animal in a net. Then a boltgun (used in slaughterhouses) fires a piece of metal into the deer's brain.
It's inhumane

Trap & Bolt is an inhumane method used to kill deer in backyards where firearms cannot legally be used. It is NOT a bona fide wildlife management tool. Trap & Bolt was modified from the “captive bolt-gun” process used in slaughterhouses

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) only approves of this method if an animal is adequately restrained. Such requirements are virtually impossible to meet for trapped deer in the field.

Even in slaughterhouses, where the animals are immobilized, but still terrified and struggling, the method causes frequent and massive suffering. The animals are shot in the eye, the jaw, the nose, until the bolt hits its intended mark.

In the wild, where deer, unused to being handled by humans, are thrashing wildly, the inaccuracy and the cruelty of the captive bolt-gun is that much more increased.

BOTH STEPS, THE TRAPPING AND THE BOLTING, CAUSE MASSIVE SUFFERING TO THE DEER.
It rebounds and you get more deer

Killing is not the cure, but the cause of overpopulation. Killing causes the population to balloon. Educated people oppose lethal measures, because these politically motivated, lethal schemes initiate the rebound effect: less deer (after killing), plus the same abundant food source, equals better overall health, and increased fecundity. Killing deer, year after year, is a self-defeating measure. Hunters kill MILLIONS of deer across the nation, annually, with no decline in population numbers.

Gary Alt, former Chief Deer Biologist in PA, said, “Deer management has been the biggest mistake in the history of wildlife management.” He refers to it as “MALPRACTICE.”
The effort is politically motivated

The small number of Net & Bolt proponents seem to be working under a pipedream that if we all pay enough money for slaughtering deer on their properties, we will have a deer management solution. Given the FACTS, it seems that their distress is really about the deer poop and damage to flowers.

See Our taxes are being squandered by the poop & flower crowd
There are effective and humane alternatives

Nature Technologies: offers a great solution to keep "pocket deer" from foraging on residential landscaping. It is based on an electrical device that emits ultrasonic sound (with no effect on humans, birds, cats, dogs) which prevents deer from hearing background sounds,and makes them too uncomfortable to put their heads down to forage. When foraging with their heads down, they must rely on hearing predators. But with this equipment they know they cannot see or HEAR predators, so they leave the property. The company quotes a 99% Customer Satisfaction rate and offers a money-back guarantee. (see review - phone number at bottom)

Repellents: Chemical products deter deer by smell, taste, pain or a combination. A deer needs to sample treated plants before becoming averse to them and avoiding them in the future. (see list)

Other solutions: scare devices, noise deterrents, fencing and more (see other alternatives)
Knowledgeable people adamantly oppose it

Peggy W. Larson, DVM, MS, JD (Animal Law and Veterinary Medicine): “This is a very inhumane way to rid yourselves of excess deer because of the extreme fright experienced by the deer and because the captured bolt does not effect a clean kill when the animal’s head is not immobilized. The misplaced bolt does not always kill but merely wounds the deer making repeated attempts necessary to kill the struggling animals.”

Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR): “AVAR is opposed to this cruel method of capturing deer because it subjects them to extreme stress and suffering before they are killed. Deer Struggle and kick, often fracturing a limb or sustaining other injuries. If the deer moves his or her head at the time the bolt is fired, the deer will be painfully wounded and the struggle continues until additional shots are fired.”

3.4 Deer cull approved in Cranbrook

by The Canadian Press - Story: 74345
Apr 25, 2012 / 8:03 am
Story Link

A second deer cull has been approved in Cranbrook, B.C.

Councillors in the southeastern B.C. city have given the go-ahead for removal of up to 50 deer after a report showed an increase in habituated mule deer and elk within city limits.

In 2010, 111 deer were counted and a cull of 25 animals was approved, but the latest stats show 121 deer and 11 elk have moved into town.

A date for the second cull has not been set, but $15,000 has been budgeted for the work.

Kimberley, Invermere and Penticton approved similar culls after residents reported they had been chased and pets had been attacked by aggressive deer.

RCMP were called to investigate in Invermere last month after the contractor hired to corral and shoot the deer reported someone was releasing the animals from traps and opponents of the cull had confronted him and followed him in their cars. (CHBZ)

3.5 Judge Rules in Favour of IDPS

by Steve Jessel - Invermere Valley Echo
Article link

Members of the Invermere Deer Protection Society (IDPS) have won a major court battle against the District of Invermere (DOI) in the latest chapter of the Invermere deer cull saga.

The DOI had made an application to dismiss the civil lawsuit filed against the district in February for its deer protection bylaw permitting a cull and to recover legal costs from the IDPS; however, on Tuesday, May 29, a Supreme Court of British Columbia judge ruled in favour of the IDPS, meaning they are free to continue with their suit to challenge the DOI Urban Deer Management Program.

The district had unsuccessfully argued the lawsuit was now a moot issue as the deer cull permit had already expired, but the judge agreed with the point made by the IDPS that the 2011 council decision to reduce Invermere urban deer numbers to 50 carried implications well into 2014.

"The district is saying that there's no point in continuing the lawsuit because the cull is over and the permit is expired, but there's nothing stopping them from killing deer in 2013," IDPS president Devin Kazakoff told The Valley Echo.

IDPS lawyer Rebeka Breder said the judge agreed with her argument that the lawsuit was not a moot issue. However, there was another reason the judge had stated, which Breder felt was especially important. "If I were to take anything away from this decision, one of the reasons that he decided not to dismiss [the lawsuit] is because he found that the issues that we're dealing with have much broader implications in B.C. when it comes to animal control," Breder said. "I think that's key, because there aren't any precedents right now in B.C. dealing with how much public consultation, if any, is required in animal control matters."

Breder feels this case could set exactly that precedent, and believes it could have Canada-wide implications if the court's verdict is in their favour when the case is finally heard, likely in the fall or potentially sometime next year.

The IDPS (formerly known as the Invermere Deer Protection Organization, or IDPO) sprang up shortly before Invermere was set to begin their deer cull, which took place in February. The cull was one of several deer control measures council first agreed upon at a DOI meeting in August 2011. District council made the decision based on the recommendations made by the DOI Urban Deer Management Committee, but Kazakoff said the information obtained by that committee is suspect, in particular regarding the overall deer count numbers.

"We're challenging the bylaw based on the fact that they adopted the deer committees recommendations, which were not done scientifically and were not done properly," Kazakoff said.

Kazakoff, as a former member of the deer committee before being removed by the district, said that from his firsthand experience the counts were done by unqualified persons and in some cases, he claims, even by children. He also believes the count should be held in the spring or summer, as opposed to the winter months. Stan Markham, who was named the new chair of the deer committee at a DOI meeting on May 22, was not available for comment under the committee's terms of reference set out by council.

"The first and foremost thing is to have the proper research done by the proper people," Kazakoff said. "We advocate for non-lethal solutions if it is determined there are too many deer in town, which we don't even know if that's the case."

DOI chief administrative officer Chris Prosser said there are further scheduled counts planned for later this year, but declined to comment on the IDPS claims that the count was improperly done. "They aren't scientists either," Prosser said.

"I know that it's been tossed around that we're looking for money, but that's not the case at all, we're not asking for money," Kazakoff said. "What happens here could have implications for the whole province and the rest of Canada too. Of course we've all been on edge, as a lot hinged on what the judge decided, so we're all extremely happy about it and now we can move on. It's a huge win for the organization and it's a great feeling to know that we're still making a difference out there, and that we can still stop these culls." The district had unsuccessfully argued the lawsuit was now a moot issue as the deer cull permit had already expired, but the judge agreed with the point made by the IDPS that the 2011 council decision to reduce Invermere urban deer numbers to 50 carried implications well into 2014.

"The first and fforemost thing is to have the proper research done by the proper people," Kazakoff said. "We advocate for non-lethal solutions if it is determined there are too many deer in town, which we don't even know if that's the case."

DOI chief administrative officer Chris Prosser said there are further scheduled counts planned for later this year, but declined to comment on the IDPS claims that the count was improperly done.

"They aren't scientists either," Prosser said.

3.6 Deer Ammo

(This is a slightly edited email excerpt from one of our esoldiers to a deer protection group.)

Perhaps the subject should read deer amo. ;)

The deer killing is not only an animal rights issue - it is also one that is of concern to taxpayers and those who have an interest in proper democratic process.

Our tax dollars are being used to do things that no moderately intelligent and informed taxpayer would ever pay for. When we try to speak against this farce, deer advocates are ignored or silenced by governing bodies who cater to interest groups such as hunters and farmers.

This matter is everyone's concern!

It is necessary to educate the public to the realities of both

The deception of culls, which are nothing more than farmers getting other people to do pay for their 'maintenance' and hunters getting other people to pay for their 'entertainment'.
The iniquities of the existing political process, which makes a mockery of the principles our government is supposed to uphold.

There are several groups throughout (and beyond) BC who are in the same sinking boat as we are. we need to join forces with them, plug-up the holes, bail out water and launch a united offensive. There is strength in unity and ruling bodies do listen to numbers!

The excellent education outreach being done by many local members and their counterparts throughout the province will build those numbers - and change the landscape!

3.7 B.C. Deer Protection Coalition now in place

Various groups in BC have joined to protect deer from slaughter:

Deer protection groups opt for united front
Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist
Published: Saturday, September 22, 2012

Deer protection organizations from across B.C. are coming together in an effort to pool their knowledge and persuade their municipal councils to look at nonlethal options to control deer.

"We have been talking about a coalition for a couple of weeks," Kelly Carson of DeerSafe Victoria said. "Little grassroots organizations are popping up and a coalition can stop everyone from reinventing the wheel."

Communities across B.C. are facing the same problems and municipalities are relying on the same material and reports, Carson said.

"The grassroots groups have the passion and the compassion to really do the research even though [municipal governments] tend to ignore us," she said.

"We feel a coalition would give us more clout."

Devin Kazakoff, of the Invermere Deer Protection Society, will speak this weekend in Victoria at the first meeting of the B.C. Deer Protection Coalition.

The Invermere group has filed a lawsuit against their town council that is expected to go to court early next year.

In Greater Victoria, where the Capital Regional District has been grappling with the deer question, directors have received an exhaustive report on deer management from a citizen's advisory group with suggestions ranging from hiring sharpshooters to easing rules on fence heights.

CRD staff are now looking at which recommendations are practical before the province is asked for help.

"It's a hot potato because the province has to come forward with what they are willing to fund and then it will fall back on individual municipalities," she said.

Some of the pressure for a cull has come from Saanich Peninsula farmers, who already have the right to shoot five deer per year to protect crops, Carson said about her group's efforts to oppose a regional cull.

"It's a vocal few that are causing these problems."
jlavoie@timescolonist.com

Link to Times Columnist Article

Here is a Chek News video of the coalition's launch: [click here].

Also see news about
Rally will urge B.C. councillors to manage deer without culls.

3.8 Net/Bolt May Violate Michigan Animal Cruelty Laws

Michigan may not lawfully allow net and bolt slaughtering of deer due to the torture inflict upon the victims by this method.

Download the pdf to see details: testimony document.

3.9 The Cranbrook Fiasco

Despite the Invermere court case, Cranbrook proceeded with another cull in early February. They attempted to do this covertly, but word leaked out and the BC Deer Protection Coalition were out to publicize and protest the actions drawing not only media attention, but also the following letter of admonition in e-know from a pro-cull councillor against this secretive action:

The deer debate must become public
Posted: February 23, 2013
Perceptions by Gerry Warner

Please consider this column an open letter to the citizens of Cranbrook and my fellow councilors on Cranbrook City Council. Regardless of where you stand on the deer issue we all share responsibility for the problem and I don’t think any of us has been living up to our responsibility including Cranbrook City Council, which has failed in one key respect.

WE HAVE NOT BEEN TRANSPARENT!

And because of that we have lost most of our credibility on this issue with our own citizens, regardless of where they stand on the cull. And once again, we’ve raised our city’s profile outside of Cranbrook in a most negative way. This has got to stop because nobody wins on an issue as deeply divisive as this and it will only get worse.

As a result, I’ve drafted a notice of motion demanding that all future council discussion of the deer cull issue take place in the public part of council meetings until we develop and approve a deer cull policy. At this point, I have no idea what the policy will be. It could be to continue the cull or to try something entirely different or to have no policy at all and let the chips fall where they may. But that’s not the point.

The point is that whatever we decide, IT MUST BE DECIDED IN PUBLIC!

So far we have hidden from the public eye and like shadowy apparatchiks of some Third World regime, we’ve cowered behind closed doors and taken a bad situation and torqued it up into something infinitely worse. I have been partly responsible for this and for that I here and now unequivocally apologize to each and every citizen of Cranbrook for my role in this toxic mess. As a retired journalist with more than 30 years of experience, I should have known better. But I have now realized the error of my ways and I’m determined to do better.

In this regard, I’d like to make a critical point. The argument that swayed us to retreat in-camera was because of alleged vandalism and public safety incidents during the Invermere deer cull and the possibility of similar incidents occurring here. There is some merit in this argument, but I have since come to the conclusion that whether the argument is meritorious or not, vandalism and public safety is an RCMP issue, not a council issue, and it shouldn’t have swayed our judgment in taking the public’s business behind closed doors. Once we retreated into our locked chamber, we lost control of the issue and the rest is history.

I’d also like to be upfront about where I’m coming from. I support a cull, but not in the incompetent way we’ve gone about it. Firstly, as everyone knows, a civil court case has been filed arising from the Invermere cull and I think it would have been prudent and respectful for Cranbrook City Council to wait until this case was heard. Instead, we foolishly rushed in and stirred up the proverbial hornets’ nest and made ourselves – and our city – the target of anti-cull rage from coast to coast. Talk about dumb politics. That’s about as dumb as it gets.

And what really burns me in this entire asinine fiasco is that we had the perfect solution in our hands and we let it slip through our fingers. And what is that, you rightfully ask? Let the Conservation Officers do it! They’re doing it already. Every year in Cranbrook and the rest of the province, COs cull hundreds, if not thousands, of injured deer. It’s their job and they have the expertise to do it. And legally, deer are “owned” by the Fish and Wildlife Branch and culling them is their responsibility. Passing this responsibility down to municipalities is just another provincial government download.

What more can I say? I respect the feelings of people on both sides of this tortuous debate including the suggestion to be “creative” and find ways to avoid culling while at the same time stopping urban deer from wreaking havoc on our hitherto peaceful communities. And to just show my own concern about the issue, I’ve sent emails to every council member and the mayor that I will no longer take part in any in-camera discussion about the deer issue.

This is a public issue and it should be discussed publicly.

Gerry Warner is a retired journalist and Cranbrook City Councillor. His opinions are his own.

3.10 Oak Bay Demo 13/11/23

The Raging Kucing videotaped the Oak Bay Demonstration on November 23, 2013 by Deersafe Victoria. Not only was the protest a good one, this is an example of how to make such events even more powerful through recordings, so others may become activated by viewing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiBGu4PYSTE

You are encouraged to view some of The Raging Kucing's other videos (some of which are related to deer issues) since they are well done.

Be an esoldier!