VICTORIA -- A coalition of First Nations, property owners and Parks Canada is aiming to round up and kill up to 500 European fallow deer that have grazed the landscape and trampled ecosystems on Sidney Island north of Victoria.
The deer were introduced to neighbouring James Island in 1902 as prey for hunting parties before invading Sidney Island in the 1960s, where they've wrecked havoc on its meadows, Douglas firs and native plant species.
Parks Canada controls about 440 hectares of the island as part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, and another 1,500 hectares of the island in Coast Salish First Nations territory are divided into strata lots.
Strata spokeswoman Triana Newton says any decision to move ahead with the cull would need a majority vote among owners.
