Re: The buck stops here (News, Aug. 19)
The interview with Coun. John Herbert, complaining about our “higher level” of government ignoring Oak Bay’s deer problem caught my attention.
His solutions: to “get a couple of trucks and haul them up to the Interior,” and sending them “back into the forest where they belong,” might have a few problems.
Firstly, our deer are Columbia blacktail, are a coastal species and have lived where Herbert’s house is for thousands of years. They do not come from the Interior, the home of mule and whitetail deer.
Secondly, it is a very delicate and expensive operation to capture and move wildlife. Trained personnel must be involved and the scenario causes potential danger and stress to both the animals and the humans. There are many videos on YouTube that show such an operation.
Thirdly, I doubt Oak Bay could be seen as a leader on deer control going the route Herbert envisions. Instead they might actually learn something from people that have always lived in high-density deer areas such as the Gulf Islands. People there plant vegetation that naturally repel the deer (plants that deer do not eat due to the smell or taste).
Oak Bay councillors should think more before they jump the gun and spend taxpayers’ money on another study or plan. Now that’s a concept.
George Flint
Oak Bay