Catalina Island, California – In an effort to preserve the native habitat on Catalina Island, California officials have approved a plan to kill mule deer that occupy the land. Mule deer were intentionally introduced to Catalina Island in the 1920s for hunting purposes, during a period when non-native game species were commonly stocked by land managers, but now, they are considered “invasive” and conservationists believe they must be eliminated to restore the island.
As reported by CBS Los Angeles, the state’s department of fish and wildlife has approved the plan which will allow upwards of 1800 deer to be lethally shot. In a news release, Lauren Dennhardt, senior director of conservation for the Catalina Island Conservancy, said:
“The permit clears the way for restoration work the island has needed for decades, and it allows us to take action at a transformative scale.”
Experts say the deer have no natural predators and state they are destroying the island’s natural vegetation.
Various ideas to control the population, including confining the deer, sterilizing them, or relocating them, were rejected. The lethal shootings will take place over a period of years and the meat from the culled deer will be provided to the California Condor Recovery Program.
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