In a meeting with Mayor Jensen and a group of residents on Jan. 18, 2014 regarding the cull and especially the inhumane method of trapping with the clover trap and the possible harm to the deer and the operator, the mayor claimed that Oak Bay would be using traps with alarms that could alert the trappers when a deer enters so the deer would spend very little time in it.
He also said they would not be using some inexperienced “fly by night” trappers, only experienced people. At the time, these traps were not available in Canada. Now the traps will be set in the evening and the trappers will go in the morning. Very little time? The mayor has stated that a contract has been signed and they will start training the trappers. Training the trappers, what happened to the experienced people he mentioned?
The provincial vet in a report to Oak Bay council stated that existing traps are not as efficient, require more manpower and would cause more stress to the deer and could possibly be associated with slightly higher risks to the operators. And the mayor wants to train these inexperienced people. Why does the story constantly change?
William Jesse
Oak Bay