Montreal to recruit 'professional shooters' to counter deer overpopulation in east end

Montreal is planning a cull operation next fall to address the overpopulation of white-tailed deer at the eastern end of the island.

An expert committee tasked with examining the deer overpopulation recommended that Montreal hire "professional shooters" to reduce the herd. Members of the committee include biologists, university professors and veterinarians.

According to a news release published Tuesday from the city, the amount of white-tailed deer in east-end parks is growing at an "accelerated rate." Parks that have a capacity of 25 deer currently have 165, based on counts carried out by the city.

In the Bois-d'Anjou and Pointe-aux-Prairies parks, the population has increased by 253 per cent since 2021.

"Reducing the deer population is not a decision that the City of Montreal is taking lightly," Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough Mayor Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, who is responsible for large parks, said in a statement. "It is necessary, based on the recommendations received, and will be carried out with the greatest respect for the animals, limiting their suffering as much as possible."

The operation will take place in the fall of 2024. The city did not say how many deer will be culled.

Taking aim at Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante's administration for not addressing the deer issue sooner, Opposition Leader Aref Salem says his Ensemble Montréal party will analyze the expert committee's recommendations.

"We deplore the fact that the Plante administration has waited all this time before making a decision, even though it has had the expert panel's recommendations on the status of white-tailed deer in east-end Montreal since 2021," he said. "In the meantime, the deer have multiplied and the situation has deteriorated."

City says measures are 'necessary'

The city underlined the need to act quickly a herd this size could have serious consequences on the environment and health and safety of both animals and residents.

On top of damaging ecosystems, overpopulation can lead to deer having difficulty feeding themselves and they may develop diseases. They also contribute to the spread of ticks, which are likely to carry Lyme disease.

Montreal says that between 2022 and 2023, 86 road accidents in the city involved deer.

The committee said it considered alternative solutions like relocating the deer. But neither the committee nor the Environment Ministry recommended them due to the "numerous risks" of injury or complications leading to deer death when animals are moved over long distances, the news release reads.

"The scale of the effort required leads us to recommend the use of professional shooters to conduct an effective, safe operation that complies with guidelines on the care and use of wild animals," said Université Laval biology professor Jean-Pierre Tremblay.

"The committee stresses the need for ongoing knowledge acquisition to foster the development of an integrated, sustainable intervention strategy."

In Longueuil, Que., a similar initiative provoked strong reactions from citizens and animal rights organizations who were strongly opposed to it.

The Superior Court of Quebec finally ruled in favour of the municipal administration, authorizing the deer cull which will also take place this fall.