It’s mule deer time on Catalina Island
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has approved a plan to kill and sterilize approximately 2,200 mule deer on Catalina Island as part of a large-scale restoration effort. The project, proposed by the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy, includes plans to monitor fauna such as island foxes and monarch butterflies, and increase biodiversity by removing invasive vegetation and reseeding with native plants.
Top line:
California Department of Fish and Wildlife approved the plan Approximately 2,200 mule deer will be killed and sterilized on Catalina Island as part of a large-scale restoration effort. The project, proposed by the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy, includes plans to monitor fauna such as island foxes and monarch butterflies, and increase biodiversity by removing invasive vegetation and reseeding with native plants.
Mule deer removal: Experts will likely use drones, thermal technology and dogs to locate and kill deer, mostly at night. Some deer will also be captured, sterilized and tracked to remove the last deer. The effort is estimated to be completed by 2032.
history: More than a dozen mule deer were introduced to the island in the early 1920s. An attempt to move the deer off the island in 1948 failed.
Opponents: in letter Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn told CDFW that she opposes plans to “slaughter deer systematically over the next five years” because of the “deep social ties to these animals.”
It was working before: Roosevelt elk and mule deer introduced to Santa Rosa Island for recreational hunting were a success excluded In 2011, native plants were given a chance to recover. By 2007, cattle, sheep, and pigs had been removed from Santa Cruz Island, pushing the previously endangered native fox to the brink of extinction. opportunity to recover.