Point Pelee National Park will be shutting its gates to visitors.
Parks Canada and Caldwell First Nation will be conducting a deer cull between January 5th and the 20th.
A high population of white-tailed deer is considered a serious threat to forest and savannah health, and the annual reduction will help ensure the long-term health of the park’s sensitive ecosystem.
Through over-browsing, the deer in the park are consuming and damaging native plants faster than they can regenerate, and threatening the health of the Carolinian Forest, which is home to a number of species at risk such as the Red Mulberry Tree, Eastern Wood-Pewee and Eastern Foxsnake. Deer are also jeopardizing efforts to restore the Lake Erie Sand Spit Savannah, a globally rare ecosystem that supports 25% of the species at risk in the park, including the Five-lined Skink.
Park officials say the ideal number of deer in the area is between 24 and 32, but with a series of mild winters and a lack of natural predators has allowed the population to grow to twice that amount.
Point Pelee National Park is slated to reopen to visitors on January 21st.