Manure pit that trapped deer meets requirements, Comox Valley district vice-chair says

The big pit of liquid manure that trapped a young deer, prompting a Courtenay man to jump in and save it, meets all provincial requirements and doesn’t have to be fenced, the vice-chair of Comox Valley Regional District said Friday.

Arzeena Hamir, a farmer who who represents Electoral Area B Lazo North, said while the rescue was an admirable act by several members of the community, the pit is on private farmland and accessed by a private road.

She said the swimming pool size manure holding area is lined with concrete barriers to prevent flooding and leeching into water systems, and it has to be open so farmers can access it to unload manure then reload it on spreaders for application on fields.

On Tuesday, Sean Ferguson answered a call on social media from Yvonne Muir, who had discovered the fawn stuck in the manure pit off Comox Road, near the 17th Street Bridge.

Ferguson jumped in and found it was over his head, so he had to hold on to the cement retaining wall. Another man helped him lift out the baby deer after a two-minute struggle. The fawn scampered off to its mother in a nearby cornfield unharmed.

Ferguson and others on social media suggested a fence should be erected around the pit to avoid future incidents, suggesting it was also dangerous for people.

However, Hamir said people should remember the pit, dirtroad access and staging area around the pit is not public property and, technically, people are trespassing when they enter.

“The pit is provincially regulated and takes into account the main concerns of leeching into waterways,” she said.