Urban deer continue to be problematic

Dear editor: Once again we’re battling the ongoing damage deer are causing in our neighbourhood, never mind the safety issues around small pets, children, bicyclists and drivers.

Last week, deer climbed up our front steps and onto our narrow enclosed landing to munch on spring flowers I’d just planted in four pots. Imagine if a child had opened the door while they were there or what would happen had I let my small dog out.

Though the deer are beautiful and elegant creatures, they do not belong in the city. They are not wild anymore. They have become domesticated and reliant on year-round food provided by lush lawns, gardens and orchards. They wander from yard to yard at night and munch their way through the beautiful gardens our city is noted for and which tourists come here to enjoy.

They eat the new buds off flowering trees and those that bear fruit. The orchardist in our neighbourhood has had to erect a high-wire fence to save his apple crop. Another neighbour is spending more than $4,000 to build a fence that may or may not keep the deer out and save the cedars in her yard which have been eaten down to the stems over the winter.

In the Globe and Mail last week, there was an article on how St. Andrews in New Brunswick aims to cull what they call a rampantly troublesome deer population. Concerns about deer spreading Lyme disease and fears around letting children play freely outside, as well as the damage being done to the city’s greenery has led to this decision.

The mayor says the town has experienced a significant amount of car collisions with deer and on one occasion a deer ran into a cyclist, breaking his arm. Yesterday, I quickly braked as five of them were driven from someone’s yard and sprinted in front of me into someone else’s yard across the street.

I’ve written the mayor and council about these concerns and hope, like St. Andrews, that a public opinion survey is taken in order to begin a reasonable discussion on how the “rampant” deer population in Kelowna can be managed.

The damage and dangers caused by these domesticated deer is becoming intolerable. Heidi Garnett Kelowna