Point Pelee National Park will be temporarily shutting its gates to visitors later this year.
Parks Canada and Caldwell First Nation will be conducting a deer cull from November 1st to the 8th, with the park reopening to the public on November 9th.
A second cull is slated to take place January 24th to the 31st, again closing the park to visitors.
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.
Parks Canada has been collaborating with Caldwell First Nation for a number of years to actively manage the deer population. Officials estimate the current deer herd population is two times higher than what the ecosystem can support.
The deer reduction activity is part of the Hyperabundant Deer Management Program, which includes ecosystem monitoring, deer population monitoring, species at risk protection, ongoing research, and collaboration in efforts to reduce the white-tailed deer population to sustainable levels.