Longueuil confirms deer cull operation in fall 2024, after judge gives green light
Posted December 13, 2023 10:41 am.
On Wednesday, the City of Longueuil presented the next steps of its plan to cull white-tailed deer in Michel-Chartrand Park.
Longueuil plans to carry out the controlled hunting operation during the fall of 2024. They say this respects the biological calendar of the wildlife, as well as the various stages involved in granting permits and contracts.
The deer cull had been protested, with animal welfare advocates attempting to stop it in court. After a lengthy battle, a judge ruled to allow the cull.
“The decision of the Court of Appeal at the end of October, which ruled in favour of the City of Longueuil after nearly two years of legal recourse by Sauvetage Animal Rescue, has enabled us to relaunch the planning of the technical and administrative operations for the controlled hunting operation, which unfortunately had to be suspended as part of the legal process. Preparing such an operation in an urban environment requires time, planning and precision, in addition to the delays inherent in permit applications and calls for tender. We also have to comply with the wildlife’s biological calendar and the hunting periods prescribed by the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs,” said Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier in a press release.
“The operation we are currently planning is part of a regional drive to reduce deer pressure on Montérégie ecosystems. We will continue to follow the science, expert advice and competent authorities in this matter, so that Michel-Chartrand Park can regenerate, in the same way as the region’s wooded areas, which will also benefit from the reduction in white-tailed deer herds that took place this autumn. SÉPAQ has successfully carried out a similar exercise in recent weeks at the Îles-de-Boucherville and Mont-Saint-Bruno national parks,” added Jonathan Tabarah, vice-chairman of the executive committee and councillor for the Parc-Michel-Chartrand district, in the same press release.
Among the next steps, the City of Longueuil will apply for permits, complete an annual deer inventory and issue a call for tenders, before the hunting operation can be completed in fall 2024.
“The final details of the intervention plan, including the dates of permitted hunting sessions, the frequency, the number of hunters authorized and distributed over the site, the hunting method, occasional park closures and the deployment of security measures, will be communicated in the weeks preceding the operation,” added Tabarah.
The City of Longueuil says the overpopulation of deer in Parc Michel-Chartrand, located in the heart of Longueuil, is preventing any reforestation operations, in addition to its other effects on the local flora and fauna.
