Two men arrested for allegedly vandalizing deer traps

Police are investigating potential links between two recent cases of deer-trap destruction in the Kootenays.

Both cases coincide with an activist movement in the region against the province’s deer-cull program.

In the most recent case, RCMP in Kimberley arrested two men on Thursday allegedly caught in disguises and vandalizing deer traps.

Cpl. Chris Newel of Kimberley RCMP said police continue to investigate the case in connection with a similar one in nearby Cranbrook.

On Feb.10, traps worth $17,000 were stolen from a B.C. government building, with a number found destroyed in a nearby forest. “In both cases, the traps were to be utilized by the city of Kimberley,” Newel said. “Is there a link? The targets, being the traps, were the same. Whether we are able to link the cases at some stage will remain to be seen.”

The province’s deer-cull program came into effect in 2012 due to a growing “urban ungulate” problem in the East Kootenay, with aggressive deer attacking pets and people in some municipalities.

Before the two recent cases, flyers were posted around Kimberley with activist messages opposing the province’s mid-February deer cull. The flyers labelled Kimberley as the deer-cull “capital” of B.C., and asked citizens to call the city’s mayor to protest.

The two men arrested in Kimberley, aged 28 and 30, are from Invermere, which has faced court challenges against its deer cull. The pair, who will not be identified before appearing in court, face charges of mischief and wearing a disguise while committing an offence.

According to local media reports Devon Kazakoff, 28, of the Invermere Deer Protection Society, took credit for the recent anti-cull flyer campaign in Kimberley.

Kazakoff, who had his court injunction against Invermere’s deer cull dismissed, told the Sunday Province on Friday he is working on an appeal.