"The permit issued by the California department of fish and wildlife allows the conservancy to eliminate the island's herd of roughly 1,800 deer over a period of five years, mostly using hired shooters who will kill the deer over bait. Outside the island's only incorporated city of Avalon, shooters can fire at night and may use helicopters and drones to help locate deer."
"Helicopters may also be used to drop nets on deer for capture. As deer numbers dwindle, the permit envisions using dogs to help shooters find and kill the stragglers. The permit also allows the conservancy to capture deer, sterilize them, fit them with GPS collars and release them back into the wild. The meat from the animals will either go to feed captive birds at the California Condor Recovery Program or to tribal partners."
"Many locals, however, deride the extermination methods as cruel and see deer as an iconic local species, despite the fact that they were introduced to establish a huntable population in the 1920s. An online petition to Stop the Slaughter of Mule Deer on Catalina Island has garnered nearly 23,000 signatures. Mule deer have been part of Catalina's landscape for nearly a century, and their presence has become an important part of the island's identity."
California wildlife authorities issued a permit allowing the conservancy that manages 88% of Santa Catalina Island to eliminate roughly 1,800 nonnative mule deer over five years. The plan relies primarily on hired shooters using bait, with night shooting allowed outside Avalon, and permits use of helicopters, drones, nets, and dogs; it also allows capturing, sterilizing, GPS-collaring, and releasing deer. Animal meat will feed captive condors or go to tribal partners. The conservancy cites threats to biodiversity, water quality, and fire resilience. Many island residents oppose the lethal methods and an online petition has nearly 23,000 signatures.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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