Montreal

Longueuil, Que., declares 'end of the deer saga' after more than 100 killed

A total of 105 deer have been killed in an operation the city says was needed to restore the ecological balance in a local park.

Meat from deer donated to local food bank

A deer grazes in the forest.
Longueuil officials have repeatedly said the population of white-tailed deer has grown far beyond what the space can support. (Bernard Barbeau/Radio-Canada)

A Montreal suburb is declaring the "end of the deer saga" after completing its plan to cull a growing herd of white-tailed deer in one of its parks.

The City of Longueuil said Thursday a total of 105 deer have been killed in an operation it says was needed to restore the ecological balance in Michel-Chartrand Park.

The cull carried out with air rifles began in October after years of legal battles with animal rights groups seeking to save the animals.

The city has said the number of white-tailed deer in the park more than tripled in recent years — from 32 in 2017 to 114 earlier this year — while the park can support around 15 deer.

Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier said in a news release the city needs to find a lasting solution to keep the deer population under control so another cull is not necessary.

Fournier also said it will plant 600 trees to address the "extensive damage caused by the emerald ash borer."

"Thanks to the success of two deer overpopulation control operations, we can finally get down to reforesting our park, a real jewel for the people of Longueuil," she said.

The city has so far donated nearly 13,000 portions of deer meat to a food bank and has given the antlers and hides to Indigenous communities for making artisanal products.

With files from CBC News