Deer cull in southwest Manitoba angers rural residents

WINNIPEG -

A deer cull triggered by the discovery of a fatal disease is causing some anger in rural Manitoba.

Manitoba Conservation said it needs to reduce the deer population in light of a second case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

According to information on the province's website, CWD is a fatal disease of the central nervous system of deer, elk, moose and caribou, other members of the cervid family.

"CWD is highly contagious. Without immediate action, CWD could run rampant through the province and have devastating effects to wildlife. CWD is always fatal, so if it is allowed to continue unchecked, more deer would die a very slow death," said a provincial spokesperson in a statement to CTV News.

Videos shared online appeared to capture the cull, which the province said would be happening this week within a containment zone.

Richard Geres, who lives near Russell, said he witnessed the cull.

He said he doesn't believe it's an effective strategy and is concerned about how it will impact the deer population.

"You're watching chasing down deer with helicopters. Endless amounts of gunshots," said Geres. "It's absolutely brutal to watch."

Geres believes something should be done about the CWD situation, but a cull is not the answer.

"The thing that really bothers me, I guess, is when you're walking these areas, we never come across dead deer that look really sick," he said. "We aren't seeing that all these years."

Geres said he used to hunt in an area in Saskatchewan that had a cull done. He said the cull ruined the genetics in the area and hasn’t seen any big bucks since.

The province said the cull is not an easy process, and every effort is made to make it as humane as possible.

"There is constant communication between air and ground crews and every effort is being made to retrieve each animal. The team will not leave any deer behind. The whole point of the exercise is to get samples from the area, and we need to collect the animal to get a sample," read the provincial spokesperson's statement.

The province said CWD has been on the Manitoba border for years, which is why the province has required hunters to submit samples for deer taken in certain areas near the Saskatchewan border.

It said testing has not shown CWD in Manitoba until the first case back in November.