Michel-Chartrand Park deer: Despite its undertakings, the City of Longueuil intends to move forward with a lethal operation
July 23, 2022
Last month, the City of Longueuil agreed to suspend the capture and killing of some 60 white-tailed deer in Michel-Chartrand Park until the lawsuit filed to halt the project could be decided on its merits. Despite this, the City indicated at a press conference held on July 20th that it plans to proceed with a lethal operation this fall, using a different method than originally proposed.
Instead of capturing the deer with traps and then killing them with a captive bolt gun followed by bleeding, the City is now proposing to use crossbow hunting. By the City of Longueuil’s own admission, this method “relies on human skill and therefore has the potential for error” and presents a “risk of stray wounded deer” (City of Longueuil, Protocol for the Capture and Enhancement of White-tailed Deer at Michel Chartrand Park, December 2021, p.4 [our translation]).
Bow hunting frequently causes wounds that do not kill the target animal instantly, such that the time to death can be prolonged and the animal remains conscious while dying from massive blood loss. This method therefore presents a high risk of suffering, as does the method initially proposed by Longueuil.
The Montreal SPCA, which is a party to the case as an intervener, deplores this change of course on the part of the City and intends to amend its filings in order to contest the new plan.
The Montreal SPCA is represented in this case by Marie-Claude St-Amant, a partner at Melançon Marceau Grenier Cohen, LLP, who also chairs the SPCA’s board of directors.
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