Dear Editor:
District of Invermere has decided we will endure ongoing wildlife torture and slaughter next door and on the public land we own and use.They ignored the ethical, compassionate values of 245 voters and will proceed in spite of zero logic for continuing the war on wildlife.They think theyve fooled November voters into ignoring the most divisive, abhorrent municipal program ever imposed on us.
The mayor, in particular, is so filled with vengeance against our beleaguered society members, that he trespassed and erected private advertising on our property, and ignores respected residents who oppose killing.
Councillor Spring Hawes once wrote, I do not believe culling is an ethical, sustainable way to manage an urban deer population and I have supported it as a one-time intervention, and only as a single component to a multi-pronged approach. Even in December 2013, Councillor Hawes was not comfortable in conducting a cull at this time.What changed since then?
At the same meeting, Meredith Hamstead stated that she has seen an attitude shift in children towards the deer and we need to educate the kids about respecting wildlife.Will continued violence improve attitudes toward wildlife? Deer are in town simply because there is suitable habitat here neither to escape predators nor attract predators. Some say deer are resident, urban, habituated and act unnaturally, while others bemoan their natural behaviour.Council pretends to care about bears animals that have been known to kill and eat humans while slaughtering deer to protect shrubs. The problem is undefined and exaggerated, and their reactive solution is ineffective and extreme. Individuals, not taxpayers, must protect their own property. The majority rule model is not always applicable least of all in decisions regarding killing.Whether to address imagined liability, perceived danger or exaggerated fear killing is wrong.In fact, only 729 of 2,213 eligible voters were eager to kill deer (33 per cent) and that is just 24 per cent of the Invermere population. Council is mistaken if they believe citizens who care about all animals have gone away, forgotten or changed their minds about funding and enduring more heart-breaking slaughter.
Sue Saunders, Kathy Wilson, Irena Shepard and Russ Shepard
Members of Invermere
Deer Protection Society