Point Pelee closing for two weeks for deer cull

By Jiaqian Ren

Point Pelee National Park is closing for the next two weeks.

From Jan. 12 to Jan. 26, staff from Parks Canada and Caldwell First Nation will be performing a cull to reduce the number of white-tailed deer at Point Pelee National Park.

“Hyperabundant white-tailed deer are a serious threat to forest and savannah ecosystems at Point Pelee national park,” according to a Parks Canada statement. Parks Canada has a responsibility to keep or restore the ecological integrity at national parks.

Point Pelee National Park needs to maintain 24 to 32 deer to maintain a balanced ecosystem, according to Parks Canada research over a 30 year period. But in last two years, the number of deer keeps growing. In December 2017, the estimated deer population is 103, an increase from 84 in 2016.

Lots of food and a lack natural predators has boosted the deer population three to four times higher than what the Point Pelee National Park can sustain.

The deer population reduction is not the only project Point Pelee staff are working on. They also focus efforts on planting native Carolinian species and removing invasive plant to restore the fragile ecosystems at Point Pelee National Park.