The B.C. government, working with the City of Cranbrook, the City of Kimberley and ʔaq’am, will begin culling urban deer to test for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Randene Neill says the cull will target about 200 deer, with 100 in each community, between February 18 and 28.
“That’s going to allow us to get the urban deer population thresholds down to what the town considers manageable,” said Neill.
“If we can get about 100 deer culled in each town, it will give us a good idea of where we’re at in terms of testing for CWD.”
CWD is a fatal infection that affects cervids, such as mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, moose and caribou.
Neill says urban deer are at a higher risk of infection and populations in Cranbrook and Kimberley are a particular concern due to the proximity to the five positive CWD cases found so far.
“Urban deer populations tend to have a higher spread rate because it’s spread through grooming, body fluids and shared spaces,” said Neill.
“Controlling that urban deer population, which is more condensed and living closer together, will give us a better shot at testing and protecting the wild deer population as well.”
B.C. officials say the work will be done as humanely and safely as possible.
“This will be carried out in a measured and careful way,” said Neill.
“The preferred method is darting, which involves a tranquillizer dart to sedate and immobilize the deer to transport and kill the deer in a humane setting. We may also use sharpshooting, which is being explored as a second option, but only when it is safe to do so.”
Neill says workers will ask property owners before pursuing a deer on private property.
Testing will begin once the cull ends on February 28 even if the provincial quota has not been met.
So far, over 4,000 samples have been tested, with only five positive cases found.
B.C. officials will use the data along with Indigenous knowledge with input from advisory committees to make future management decisions.
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