Parks Canada is suggesting a plan to eliminate numerous white-tailed deer at a historical location close to Quebec City, citing the deer population on the island as a threat to rare plants and the safety of staff members flying in.
In a notification detailing its intentions for a deer cull on Grosse-Île, Parks Canada states that its efforts to scare the deer away from a runway on the island have been ineffective.
According to Parks Canada, the diverse visual and audible scare tactics employed, such as constant runway inspections using all-terrain vehicles and negative conditioning with paint markers containing white chalk balls, need to be intensified as white-tailed deer show little to no reaction and some return to the runway’s edge as soon as staff members depart.
Nevertheless, Sophie Gaillard, the Montreal SPCA’s Director of Animal Advocacy and Legal and Governmental Affairs, suggests that Parks Canada should initially explore non-lethal alternatives to address the deer issue, like implementing physical barriers or sterilization.
The focus of Parks Canada’s proposal is on Grosse-Île, an island in the St. Lawrence River situated approximately 48 kilometers east of Quebec City. Initially established in 1832 as a quarantine station to accommodate passengers arriving on ships from Europe, the island saw a significant influx of Irish immigrants during the famine in 1847, with over 8,600 patients treated in the hospital that year. Tragically, an estimated 5,424 passengers are buried on Grosse-Île.
During World War II, the quarantine station transitioned into a research facility where covert germ warfare experiments involving bacteria like anthrax were conducted.
In 1974, the quarantine station was designated a national historic site and is now known as the Irish Memorial Historic Site, welcoming visitors seasonally between May and October.
Parks Canada has proposed that Grosse-Île be included in the list of sites covered by the National Historic Sites of Canada Order, granting it the legal authority to carry out the cull via a controlled hunt.
A separate management plan for the island on the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada’s website reveals that white-tailed deer arrived on Grosse-Île in the 1980s from a neighboring island. With no natural predators and hunting restrictions on the island, the deer population has proliferated over the years despite previous population reduction efforts in 2003 and 2012.
Parks Canada estimates the current deer population on the 1.8-square-kilometer island to be between 89 and 95, surpassing the island’s capacity to support only around eight deer.
Additionally, besides the risk posed by deer encroaching on the aircraft runway, a study conducted by Parks Canada indicates that deer are adversely impacting the vegetation on the island.
To address the issue, Parks Canada intends to establish regulations governing firearm use on the site, and Quebec’s Environment Ministry reportedly plans to revoke the provincial prohibition on hunting on the island.
Keean Nembhard, the press secretary to Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin, expressed support for Parks Canada’s initiative, emphasizing the importance of responsible wildlife management to preserve the site’s heritage and ecosystem.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May acknowledged the necessity of managing deer populations in national parks to maintain ecological balance but raised concerns about past challenges faced by Parks Canada in executing deer culls, such as the decision to employ marksmen in helicopters for population reduction in Gulf Islands National Park.
May suggested exploring alternatives such as seeking assistance from local Indigenous communities with hunting rights or implementing non-lethal methods like fencing or contraceptive sterilization to control deer numbers.
The news of the proposed deer cull surprised Bernard Généreux, the Conservative MP for the area, who advocated for involving resident hunters from nearby islands in the culling process.
Gaillard criticized Parks Canada for not taking earlier action to manage the deer population, emphasizing the need for proactive measures rather than drastic population reduction efforts at the last minute.
The 30-day public consultation period on Parks Canada’s proposal is open until April 6.
