Montreal SPCA to intervene in deer court battle

Montreal’s SPCA is looking to intervene in a lawsuit filed against the City of Longueuil, in an attempt to halt the planned cull of white-tailed deer.

“We are seeking to intervene in this lawsuit to broaden the debate and to trigger a real reflection on the ways communities can live harmoniously with wildlife,” explained Sophie Gaillard, Director of Animal Advocacy and Legal Affairs for the Montreal SPCA. “With urban sprawl and climate change, managing the overpopulation of certain species, in a manner that is both sustainable and respectful of animal welfare, is becoming a pressing issue.”

Last November, Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier said the city would kill all but about 15 deer in order to protect the Michel Chartrand Park, which can’t support the roughly 70 deer living there.

The plan prompted lawyer Anne-France Goldwater to file a court petition earlier this month on behalf of herself, a wildlife rescue organization called Sauvetage Animal Rescue, and a local animal-rights activist.

RELATED:

• Animal welfare advocates ask court to stop white tailed deer cull south of Montreal
• Quebec deer overpopulation means tough choices for government officials
• 70 deer to be culled at Michel-Chartrand Park in Longueuil

“As part of its intervention, the Montreal SPCA will argue that animals’ status as ‘sentient beings’ in the Civil Code of Quebec, which was granted to them in 2015, requires that governments take into account their sentient nature and therefore their welfare,” said the SPCA in a statement. “In this context, the decision by the City of Longueuil to capture the deer and kill them using a captive bolt gun, followed by bleeding, is problematic in several respects.”

Issues listed by the SPCA include;

• The fact no animal welfare organization was involved in the City’s plan,
• The method of trapping and killing the deer is common in slaughterhouses,
• No preventative measures to repel the deer would be put in place, meaning the deer will keep returning.

“When we look at what is being done elsewhere, we see that responsible, ethical and innovative wildlife management that is science-based and supported by expert opinion, is indeed possible,” says Gaillard. “It is crucial for Quebec to develop its expertise in this type of approach. The deer problem in Michel-Chartrand Park is an ideal opportunity to test new population control methods here in Quebec, in the form of a research project that would contribute to evolving scientific knowledge in this field.”

-With files from the Canadian Press