The British Columbia government is providing the District of Oak Bay with $20,000 to support ongoing efforts to control urban deer, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson announced today.

The funding comes from the provincial urban deer cost-share program, which supports community projects that focus on deer culls and research into other population control methods, such as relocation and chemical contraception.

The funding will allow Oak Bay to radio-collar up to 20 deer and place motion-activated video cameras on trails frequented by deer. The information collected will give the municipality a better understanding of deer densities, range, population dynamics and dispersal rates and will inform future management decisions.

The municipality is partnering on the project with the Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society, a citizen-led organization focused on supporting sustainable, non-lethal solutions to urban deer issues.

Oak Bay applied for funding to support a chemical contraceptive pilot project. The Province asked the municipality to conduct further research and get baseline data in order to explore options for safely and effectively controlling urban deer.

Quick Facts:

• The urban deer program follows through on a commitment government made at the 2015 Union of B.C. Municipalities annual meeting. 
• Last year, the Province gave out a total of $56,000 to urban deer programs in Invermere, Elkford, Cranbrook and Kimberley.

Learn More:

Urban deer management in B.C. factsheet: https://news.gov.bc.ca/factsheets/factsheeturban-deer-management-in-bc