New deer survey underway

News staff

The Earthanimal Humane

Education and Rescue Society

(EARS) is conducting a survey to get

a better understanding of people’s

opinions on the deer situation in the

Capital Regional District.

EARS spokeswoman Susan

Vickery said there is no data

on how residents feel about the

deer population and their level of

knowledge on management options,

including non-lethal tools.

In November, Oak Bay council

voted in favour of trapping and

killing 25 deer to thin the herd.

“We also need a baseline so we

can measure people’s opinion again

if and when a management plan is

enacted,” Vickery said. “How would

you know if people are feeling better

or are seeing less damage if a cull

does happen?”

Vickery is using a Victoria-based

research company to conduct a

telephone poll with CRD residents

and a mail survey targeting Oak Bay

residents in December.

She plans to share the results

publicly in early 2014. “I have been

working on it for a couple of months

and I’m trying to approach it from

an unbiased way which is really

hard to do when you have a vested

interest,” Vickery said.

reporter@vicnews.com