Wildlife Population Management

Not sure if this warrants its own thread, but considering the rabbit debacle at UVic and VGH, it might be worth plugging somewhere on the board.

This IMO exemplifies TMG (Too Much Government):

Mayor seeks action on culling of deer (10-Nov)

Victoria councillor Lynn Hunter said she was disturbed that the CRD was spending $255,000 on a report. "It's a way of delaying making a hard decision that may be unpopular in some parts of our community," Hunter said. "Most of us are standing for re-election and being the murderer of Bambi is not necessarily something that is going to be popular as an election platform. ... I'm in favour of a move to action."

Saanich councillor Judy Brownoff said the community is very divided. "Some say save Bambi, others say just whack him."

The article says the deer have disease and ticks. The deer behind my place look healthy and beautiful.

The issue as I understand it, is that deer gravitate to the urban areas because of the lack of predators. That lack of predators results in a population boom. Urban farmers and gardeners are seeing the impact of this on their crops.
The population will continue to grow, unless predators are re-introduced and allowed to roam city streets, or a cull happens. Nature requires these checks and balances.
Considering that we import meat into the city, meat that requires massive amounts of water and grain that could go to better uses, a deer cull makes sense, unless we are as a society to go completely vegan.
This is the kind of thing we have to accept living in cities, which aren't exactly natural. If killing wildlife is so unacceptable, then we need to take a long hard look at the impacts on wildlife habitat that resource extraction has, and curb our consumption of great number of consumer items.
As someone who has spent years working for the protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat, I'm not coming at this from a position of 'whack 'em'. There is a vast grey area here between vegan animal rights activists and yayhoo sports hunters. There is the pragmatic approach that requires we mitigate what we have created before the problem gets worse.

There are already threads under Victoria and South Island Economy.

Deer cull, and Rabbits, Rabbits, Rabbits.

Anybody think this whole bear-feeding thing is blown a bit out of proportion?

 

Every day, probably hundreds of bears eat food left out or left behind by humans.

 

Meanwhile we issue over 22,000 grizzly and black bear hunting licenses each year in BC.  Bears are going to die.  And most will just be shot in the wild by hunters, most won't be shot because they have become accustomed to humans.

It's just stupid and dangerous to be feeding any large wild animal in this manner, especially bears. So you get some awesome pictures but the next poor bozo gets a bear in his tent.

It's just stupid and dangerous to be feeding any large wild animal in this manner, especially bears. So you get some awesome pictures but the next poor bozo gets a bear in his tent.

 

Agree it was a bad idea.  But the frickin' witch hunt for these guys.  Probably dozens of people will feed bears this weekend in BC.  But not post it to the internet.   

Oh, I didn't know the whole story. I just saw the video (I actually had the sound down at the time). So the feeders are fugitives now? Media outlets like to jump all over comparatively trivial things in that manner. If they spend several days fussing about a video of somebody picking his nose the wrong way then they have a good excuse for not doing proper investigation and coverage of the latest atrocity our overlords are masterminding over in [insert country here]. Or even right here at at home, for that matter.

How's this for a slogan? "Do not feed the bears." It just came to me.

 

 

Edited by aastra, 03 June 2016 - 09:19 AM.

It's just stupid and dangerous to be feeding any large wild animal in this manner, especially bears. So you get some awesome pictures but the next poor bozo gets a bear in his tent.

 

That's it!  

The next time they are going to release a tranquilized bear into the wild, they release the bear at "tent city"

Bozo problem solved.

Not a good time to be riding around town in a convertible eh!

 

Likely you've noticed all the seagull feces in the downtown area.

Even with the numbers of seagulls decreasing, this time of year we see more of their waste especially where there are high buildings and light posts.

http://www.cfax1070....d-create-a-mess

They're invasive, and they're sterile.

But a small group of rehabilitated squirrels has nonetheless emerged victorious in a David-and-Goliath battle for their lives with the province of British Columbia.

B.C.'s Environmental Appeal Board has slammed a Vancouver Island wildlife manager for adopting a policy that would have forced a Victoria wildlife rehabilitation centre to euthanize hundreds of animals it normally releases into the wild.

http://www.cbc.ca/ne...lease-1.3734129

 

 

They are sterile? Jeez, just let em go. They'll all be dead in 10 or 15 years.

It's Vancouver but maybe could happen in Victoria.

 

An animal advocacy group is offering a $1,000 reward after a skunk was found caught in a leg-hold trap in a Vancouver neighbourhood.

"Skunks can be injured in traps and if removed, it is only a matter of time before another skunk moves in to claim the existing food source and shelter." 

In British Columbia, homeowners are allowed to kill what they consider nuisance wildlife.

Licensed trappers can lay down traps on Crown land without notifying the public, as long as they are not within 200 metres of a residence.

Nelson says the fact that traps can be placed within city boundaries concerns his group. 

http://www.cbc.ca/ne...cates-1.3735917

http://www.cbc.ca/ne...eason-1.3716527

 

 

They are offering $1000 for another skunk, geez that's generous.

They are offering $1000 for another skunk, geez that's generous.

Are they just after the perfume?

Are they just after the perfume?

 

 

Seriously if there's one animal we can do without, thank God they're not on Vancouver Island(at least I've never ever seen one) we are having a cull if they come over. When I lived briefly in North Vancouver the smell lingering in the air endlessly in certain months was insane, I got swarmed by skunks on several occasions in the dark back alley behind my apartment, I had to carry an umbrella and kept hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and Dawn dish soap on hand as the antidote for me and the Dog .

Edited by todd, 29 August 2016 - 06:48 AM.

^ are we sure there are none here? I know I've smelt something like skunk a few times. I've never seen one though.

^ are we sure there are none here? I know I've smelt something like skunk a few times. I've never seen one though.

 

If you were near my house I probably got the largest ornamental Skunk Cabbage collection in the CRD outside Finnerty Gardens the month of June is usually pretty intense.

 

Otherwise were you near a dispensary?

Edited by todd, 29 August 2016 - 07:46 AM.

Saanich pound staff is looking for witnesses to an attack by two dogs on a deer that led to the deer having to be put down.

The pound was called about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to Gordon Head Road near San Juan Avenue regarding two large dogs that looked like Samoyeds chasing and setting upon a deer.

Staff arrived to find a buck so badly hurt that it had to be euthanized. The dogs could not be found.

Pound inspector Sue Ryan said such attacks are rare. She said the pound like to speak to whomever owns the dogs about controlling and containing them.

 

 

- See more at: http://www.timescolo...h.dshbs5xN.dpuf

 

Give me a break.  What came first, pets or deer.

 

I hope the dogs, through their spokesdog, make no comment.

- See more at: http://www.timescolo...h.dshbs5xN.dpuf

 

Give me a break.  What came first, pets or deer.

 

I hope the dogs, through their spokesdog, make no comment.

 

Any evidence suggesting it wasn't Wolves?

Edited by todd, 31 August 2016 - 07:11 PM.