Undercover footage shows the cruelty of Cranbrook's secret deer cull

CRANBROOK, BC, Jan. 12, 2016 /CNW/ - In mid-December 2015, Cranbrook began to cull deer without notification to area residents.  The only public notification came from the BC Deer Protection Society and Animal Alliance of Canada in an ad that ran in the Cranbrook Townsman prior to the start of the cull.

On Friday, January 8, 2016, the BC Deer Protection Society lodged a formal complaint to the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations about incidents involving fawns in Clover traps.  The incidents which show the cruelty of the cull, were captured through photographs and video footage.

Two incidents in particular reveal violations of the terms of the cull permit issued by the Minister.

Footage for one incident shows a fawn captured in a trap (unedited video documents the fawn pacing for over two hours).  The cull contactors arrive, collapsing the trap on the animal and applying the bolt gun.  The cull contractors stand and the fawn moves.  They apply the bolt gun a second time.  The fawn moves again as the contractors try to erect the trap.  They drop it and observe the fawn.   One contractor starts to reach for the bolt gun but stops.  They proceed again to erect the trap and drag the fawn away by the hind leg.  In both cases the fawn is seen moving.  The cull contractor returns immediately leaving the fawn still alive and unattended.  A total of six minutes passed between the arrival of the contractors and the removal of the deer.  (bcdeer.org)

Photographs from a second incident show two fawns entangled in a trap that has collapsed on them.  They remain entangled and compressed for at least two hours prior to the arrival of the cull contractors.  It is not known at this time whether the fawns' struggle was so violent as to dislodge the mechanism holding the trap upright or whether the mechanism was faulty.  Regardless, no-one checked the trap during that two hour period to end the suffering of these two animals. (bcdeer.org)

In the letter to the Minister, we urge him in the strongest possible terms to end the cull, conduct a full investigation of the violations of the permit and lay charges where appropriate.  In addition, we ask that the permit for the current contractor be revoked until the investigation is complete.

SOURCE Animal Alliance of Canada

Devin Kazakoff: [email protected]; Liz White: 1-416-462-9541 (23), 416-809-4371 (cell) or [email protected]; Barry MacKay, 1-905-472-9731 or [email protected]; Sherry Adams, 250-432-5238 (cell) or [email protected]