BCDPC Letter To Capital Regional District

The BCDPC informs the CRD of its existence and offers non-lethal assistance for the management program.

BC Deer Protection Coalition
C/o DeerSafe Victoria
deersafevictoria@yahoo.com

January 28, 2012

Chair and Members of the Board, Capital Regional District

Mayor and Members of Councils of
Central Saanich, Colwood, Esquiltmalt,
Highlands, Langford, Metchosin,
North Saanich, Oak Bay, Saanich,
Sidney, Sooke, Victoria, View Royal

Dear Chairperson and Members of the Board and Mayors and Members of Councils:

We are a newly formed group mandated to protect deer and to assist in learning how to peacefully co-exist with deer in our communities. We will also provide assistance to develop human/deer conflict prevention programmes, non-lethal intervention measures for municipalities and the BC government and where conflicts occur, resolving them through non-lethal measures.

We are writing due deer poaching incidents that have occurred in the Saanich area. Last week, one deer had to be killed by a Conservation Officer (CO) because of a cross bow arrow protruding from his head.

The officer describes the deer as moving slowly indicating that his condition was not good. He describes a cross-bow bolt imbedded in the deer’s head between his eyes and deep enough to pass through his nasal passages and throat. The CTV coverage showed the CO removing the arrow that protruded from between the eyes of the deer embedding itself deep into the deer’s head and neck. The arrow was not a training arrow, but the type used to kill.

A few days earlier a second deer was found dead from an arrow wound that passed right through his body. He was found on the grounds at the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children's Care.

Here is a link to the CTV coverage -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1MAGTTdz8U&feature=player_embedded.

We have three requests:

1. That the CRD and its 13 municipalities take action against poaching. Unless the District and its municipal partners take a strong stand against poaching, more animals will continue to suffer extreme cruelty. We are seeking a strong statement from the CRD Board and the 13 municipalities against poaching. In addition, we request greater police resources be directed to investigating poaching activity and prosecuting where possible.

2. That the CRD and all 13 municipalities ban bow hunting within their boundaries because of human safety and animal cruelty issues. The police acknowledge that it just a matter of time before another animal, or even a person, “gets caught in the crosshairs.”

3. That the CRD and all 13 municipalities seek additional charges of cruelty to animals should the perpetrators be caught. The BC SPCA does not condone bowhunting, as per their Hunting Position Statement.

Studies show that wounding rates for bow hunting is as high as 50% (see attached study) and that a percentage of the wounded animals take up to two weeks to die. The CTV report states that area residents reported seeing this injured animal over a two week period.

Sincerely,

Kelly Carson, DeerSafe Victoria
Liz White, Animal Alliance and Environmental Voters
Colleen Bailey, Humane Treatment of Urban Wildlife
Devin Kazakoff, Invermere Deer Protection Society

Cc: Sara Dubois, Manager of Wildlife Services, BC SPCA