With a healthy population of Deer in the townsite, Fish and Wildlife Officers are asking residents to do their part to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
Fish and wildlife officers respond to a variety of calls about wildlife in our communities all throughout the year. With the large network of natural areas in and around our communities, it’s important to keep in mind wildlife live and travel alongside us every day.
Recently, Drumheller Fish and Wildlife officers have been receiving reports of deer in the area. Within residential areas, deer have enough habitat to provide them with cover for safety and trees and shrubs to browse for food. Deer also have few natural predators within residential areas.
Deer are normally timid and quick to flee when people come near, and seeing deer in our communities is usually a positive experience. However, deer can become surprisingly aggressive in protecting themselves and their young or during the rut season.
Residents can do their part to reduce cases of human-wildlife conflict by:
Always keep your distance from any wildlife. If it appears the deer will not run away as you approach, walk around the deer – giving it a lot of space – or back away and find another route to your destination.
Never approach fawns that have been temporarily left alone by their mothers. Their mothers will return, and if they see you are too close to the fawn, they may attack.
If a deer has found its way into your backyard, it can find its way out. Bring your children and pets into the house to minimize the stress on the visiting deer and wait for it to leave.
Do not let your dog bark at or antagonize the deer. This can further stress the deer and lead to aggressive, self-defensive behaviours.
Never feed deer. Deer can feed themselves, and leaving out salt blocks to attract deer may also attract the larger carnivores that prey on deer.
Remove all food sources that may attract a deer, such as fallen apples and bird seed spilled from bird feeders.
More information about deer can be found at: https://www.alberta.ca/deer.aspx
