When I read the letter regarding naming two of Oak Bay’s newest fawns, “Lunch and Dinner” I felt both alarmed and perplexed. The push for yet another deer cull in Oak Bay was the only answer for this person, regardless of the fact that the previous cull was both expensive and ineffective.
Yes there are many more deer in Oak Bay and yes they love our urban plants but when has killing of human or animal life ever proven to be a positive approach and indeed should ever be justified? Human beings also need to take some responsibility for the situation we are in. Deer as well as other wild animals are often times forced out of their natural habitat due to extensive logging practises near urban centres. This summer the deer were also in search of water which plants provided for them, due to an extremely dry summer conditions.
Better had our current mayor and council taken a more broad-minded approach to the deer issue and taken the scientifically founded advise from Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society when they proposed the immuno-contraceptive program as an alternative to the previous poorly managed deer cull. Now that this plan has finally been implemented in Oak Bay we need to give it a chance to work and be successful. In the meantime residents of Oak Bay should consider themselves lucky to live in this lovely community and have the luxury of owning property to fill with plants and flowers. And to the writer of that article who seemed so full of anger at this situation I would suggest if they really were sincere about feeding the homeless, they can always turn those flower beds to vegetable beds and donate the proceeds. Much healthier too.
Marilyn Lapointe
Oak Bay