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Oh deer, the zeitgeist
E-KNOW Editorial
Woof, what an issue.
To cull or not cull? That is the big, boiling, ricocheting question that is plaguing several municipal councils in the East Kootenay right now.
First out of the blocks with a permit to cull 25 mule and white-tail deer, the City of Cranbrook seems to have dodged the condemnation train that has pulled into the station in both the City of Kimberley and District of Invermere.
Perhaps it is the numbers – with both those municipalities permitted to kill four times as many deer as Cranbrook. Each location has provincial government permission to trap and kill 100 deer, a figure that is drenched in blood and stinks to the high heavens for some people in the region and beyond.
For others, it isn’t enough.
So what we have here is a good old fashioned, delicate see-saw of public opinion. Do it or don’t do it.
Thus far the two municipalities are sticking to their guns, so to speak, and the culls continue, while public outrage appears to be rising to new levels, with social media bristling with commentary, as well as this newspaper.
Check out the comments following our story at: https://www.e-know.ca/news/deer-culling-issue-on-full-boil/ for an example.
At its heated central essence, this issue demonstrates the zeitgeist of life in the East Kootenay. It parallels development, growth and change, with many regional residents wanting things to stay the same, or revert back to the quieter times when our spectacular backyard was a well-kept secret and the red licence plates weren’t as prevalent on our highways.
One might be tempted to equate the anti cull folks to those who don’t want to see development occur in or outside regional municipal boundaries, but it’s a million miles away from being that simple.
There is definitely outside pressure rampaging into the region, with urban intellectuals chiming in with words doubly wrapped in moralistic fervor. It’s akin to fighting a war with long-range missiles. The perfect ease of detachment from consideration of the complexities inherent in a given issue is staggering and tragic.
But the preachers of right and wrong from across the mountain ranges beyond us here in the East Kootenay are merely the sores and boils that develop when something is festering within.
We have a problem and the ‘body East Kootenay’ is trying to deal with it.
Deer have been a growing problem in the region for more than a decade. Each municipality has wildlife ‘issues’ and most places deal with them with fine levels of appropriateness, but the ‘invasion’ of towns by ‘Bambi’s brethren’ has taken the right and wrong thing to a whole new level.
East Kootenay society has dealt with ‘the bear issue’ since Europeans trundled in and squatted on Ktunaxa land in order to wrench mineral wealth from it.
Our society has ‘dealt’ with ‘the wolf issue’ ever since a pack of wolves availed themselves to the juicy num nums presented to them in their traditional hunting territory. Ditto ‘the coyote issue.’
Humans deal with other animals in ways they feel they must. Right or wrong it is the smarmy position our species has taken as self-appointed ‘highest on the food chain.’
We’ve evolved beyond simply slaughtering critters when they’re not being ‘good neighbours’ but we’re obviously not as enlightened and perfect as we need to be – yet.
The chosen route with the current deer issue, with three municipalities in this region, so far, is to thin the herds.
The chosen method is a horrifying method and there is no doubt the deer head to the afterlife with one final ‘what the *&^%!’ Just as they do when a bumper smashes into their skull, or when a hunter’s bullet hits it or when a pack of wolves track it down and tear it to shreds.
Are there other methods? As sure as there is coal wealth in the Elk Valley.
But here’s the rub – they’re more than certainly more expensive. And municipalities, even the coal benefitting Elk Valley ones, have diddly squat to play with. They’re dealing with the tax dollars provided by the folks on both sides of every issue and the most basic aim of any municipal politician is to keep tax increases to a minimum. Around all that are the societal tides that must be observed and planned around. The rise of the shrub devouring, fawn protecting/dog beating, baby carriage hating Bambi horde is one such local government diversion.
Some elected officials are taking it on the chin, big time. Invermere Mayor Gerry Taft has had people scream at him about how dangerous deer are to small kids and dogs and he’s got some people bellowing at him that he’s a murderous monster because he, along with his councils (past and present) have chosen to cull the district’s deer herds.
That scenario played out for former Cranbrook Mayor Scott Manjak, too, who at least had the bonus of a viral video showing a doe beating the yipping snot out of an innocent pooch to temper folks toward a cull.
Kimberley’s former forever Mayor Jim Ogilvie and his councils, as well as current Mayor Ron McRae and his council, as well as the councils in the other municipalities, have made decisions that favour the human population over the indigenous deer.
Not a person-Jack of them who have raised their hands to support deer cull bylaws, nor any of the citizens who served on committees that ended up recommending culls, like the idea. If there was someone, we’d take delights in quoting them and making sure people realized they were a sick bastard.
So the question is: if councils are pressured into killing the culls, what other methods should be used to solve the deer problem? (Folks who sit on urban deer committees are reaching for razors to slit their wrists at this point.)
The cheapest and most effective way to deal with urban deer is… dogs. Deer were never a problem before dog control bylaws appeared.
Dog control bylaws became necessary because kids, adults and pets were being attacked and hurt by stray dogs. Dogs are mostly kept at bay now, and deer, pushed from traditional grazing lands by growing towns, have no fear. Rover isn’t getting in Bambi’s face anymore. And taxpayers have to dig deeper because some taxpayers couldn’t be responsible dog owners.
The solution to one problem has created another. The cycle of life continues, per se.
And so does the deer cull issue. So if you are going to be vocal about it, one way or another, make sure you truly consider the enormous complexities attached to the issue.
This is an unfortunate issue but put yourself in your elected officials’ shoes. This issue is a classic example of how difficult it can be to be an elected official in one of our small towns. They are damned no matter which direction they chose to go.
Meanwhile, some folks love the deer and others could care less if a shwack of them are bolted in the head and served up to food banks. Smack dab in the middle are some poor shlubs who rake in treasure-chest-fattening-sums in the $12,000 to $20,000 a year range to wear the hairshirts of their towns.
Be mindful of that folks.
Ian Cobb/e-KNOW
