Longueuil will proceed with the ‘urgent’ slaughter of a herd of deer in the Michel-Chartrand park

A committee that assessed the state of the park concluded that the site’s ecosystem is “so degraded that it can no longer regenerate.”

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The city of Longueuil will proceed with the slaughter of a herd of deer in a local park after a committee of experts concluded that their overpopulation posed a threat to the park’s ecosystem and, ultimately, to the survival of the herd.

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“We realize that there is an urgent need to reduce the herd of deer in the park to avoid further damage to the natural habitat, already compromised by deer overpopulation,” Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier said in a statement issued on Tuesday. “Taking into account all the scientific, ethical and environmental considerations, it is the only path open at the moment, as the situation has worsened, especially in the last year.”

A committee made up of citizens and experts spent six months assessing the state of the Michel-Chartrand Park and concluded that the site’s ecosystem was “so degraded that it can no longer regenerate.”

Factors in the park’s deterioration included the invasion of several non-native vegetation species on the site, an infestation of emerald ash borer beetles, an increase in human trafficking and a consequent increase in violations of park regulations, and a deer overpopulation that marked the situation. the herd is undernourished because there is no longer enough vegetation to feed them.