Urgent! Your Help Is Needed To Stop The Brutal Slaughter Of Innocent Mule Deer On Catalina Island

A horrific and senseless slaughter of more than 1,000 wild mule deer on Catalina Island, off the coast of California, is being promoted by the Catalina Island Conservancy.

The Conservancy has applied for a permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to hire the company White Buffalo, Inc. to horrifically kill every single wild mule deer on the island using high-powered rifles and helicopters.

The large population of wild mule deer has been living peacefully on the 48,000-acre island for almost 100 years, since being introduced in the 1930s, delighting the island’s small human population of 4,500 residents and thousands of tourists who visit Catalina Island every day.

Most islanders are horrified by the plans to kill the beautiful deer, except those who have bought into the Conservancy’s unsupported claims that the deer eat too much “native” vegetation — despite no scientific studies verifying this purely anecdotal claim.

The deer are arguably more “native” than the human population and development on the island. The majority of Catalina’s population who live in the town of Avalon, which some deer frequent during drought, oppose the Conservancy’s planned deer slaughter.

The Conservancy is repeating previously failed tactics: twice before they filed for CDFW deer-killing permits, in 2012 and 2016 — and twice were rejected. Rejection by the CDFW has been for two reasons, including a lack of scientific research to support its claims that there is an ecological impact by the deer, as well as a lack of public transparency and input that the CDFW requires.

Yet again, the Conservancy is ignoring the will of the people and bypassing public input to avoid public outrage.

The deer slaughtering permit has not yet been granted, which means that we still have time to save them. Please urge the CDFW and elected officials to oppose the inhumane and unnecessary slaughter of Catalina Island’s mule deer.

How You Can Help! 

1. Make Calls. Call California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Sacramento office at (916) 445-2841 and Congressman Robert Garcia’s Washington D.C. office at (202) 225-7924.

Speak with a staffer or leave a brief, polite message that you are horrified and upset about the proposed Catalina Island mule deer slaughter and want them to oppose it.

2. Write Letters. Submit letters to California Governor Gavin Newsom, Congressman Robert Garcia, the California Fish and Game Commission, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, HERE!

Please also state in your letters whether you have visited Catalina Island before or will consider visiting the island in the future. 

Content courtesy of In Defense of Animals. Help them continue fighting for animals, people, and the environment by making a donation HERE!