Oak Bay deer cull still under fire by BCSPCA

The BCSPCA is adamant that killing deer in the tranquil neighbourhood of Oak Bay, a suburb of Victoria,will do nothing to control overpopulationof the animals.

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The society is running out of time to stop the cull, which plans to eliminate25 deer. Permits for the killings expire on March 15.

"We don't think the cull is going to work to reduce deer conflict in Oak Bay because the deer population istransientand moves inSaanichand Victoria, " said theBCSCPA's chief scientific officer Dr. Sara Dubois.

Dubois met with Oak Bay officials Wednesday.The municipality's plan is to trap the deer and then shoot them in the head.

There was concern from the BCSPCA that the municipality would slit the animals' throats and let them bleed out if ashot to the head didn't work.

"We had an opportunity to review the actual permit and that language was not there and it did address that concern," said Dubois.

The SPCA has no legal grounds to stop the culling, but does have the legal right to enforce the way the deer are being killed.

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