The Acting Mayor of Esquimalt says the city is doing what it can to get a handle on deer populations, an issue forced back into the spotlight after a young cougar stalking deer was shot and killed by police near the downtown area Sunday night.
Beth Burton Krahn says Esquimalt will do a deer count in the fall, which will help inform creation of a deer management program.
Krahn suggests Esquimalt is watching Oak Bay's efforts to control deer through a contraceptive program:
"They applied to the province for some matching funds to look at some immunization, because everyone is really loath to do a cull. They don't seem to be incredibly successful. And relocation whether it's predator or prey is also not as easy or successful as we might hope or imagine."
Esquimalt has also been working with the Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society (UWSF) to release an educational program for residents aimed at discouraging deer visits in neighbourhoods. That should be rolled out by late summer/early fall.