Deer Smart
Cities and towns have many natural areas that support black-tailed deer. Urban deer populations benefit from abundant food and shelter. They have few natural predators and bylaws prohibit hunting them within city limits. As a result, urban deer populations have tremendous growth potential.
Deer sometimes damage gardens, shrubs, fruit trees and other public or private property. They can be a threat to human health and safety when they wander onto roadways and collide with vehicles. They can also carry deer ticks, which may transmit Lyme disease to humans.
The challenge is to find an acceptable balance between the number of deer in the District and the associated risk to people and their property.
Do Not Feed the Deer
It is extremely important that people do not feed deer. Deer can find natural food sources and survive well on their own. In fact, handouts from humans may do the deer more harm than good:
- Feeding deer, especially during winter, maintains artificially high populations that make deer more susceptible to starvation and disease.
- Deer become accustomed to food handouts and lose their fear of humans, putting both deer and people at greater risk.
- Feeding deer attracts more of them to an area resulting in more damage to nearby properties.
- Feeding encourages deer to travel, increasing risks when they cross streets.
The BC Conservation Officer Service (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/) has authority under British Columbia Wildlife Act to order people to stop feeding deer if it creates a risk of property damage or a risk to health and safety for wildlife or people.
What You Can Do
To find out more about what you can do to minimize or reduce the damage caused by deer to your property go to the Ministry of Environment’s website (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/info/wildlife_human_interaction/docs/garden.html).