{"id":85030,"date":"2026-02-06T13:14:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/thousands-of-mule-deer-will-be-killed-on-catalina-island-as-part-of-restoration-plan\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T13:14:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:14:35","slug":"thousands-of-mule-deer-will-be-killed-on-catalina-island-as-part-of-restoration-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/thousands-of-mule-deer-will-be-killed-on-catalina-island-as-part-of-restoration-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands of mule deer will be killed on Catalina Island as part of restoration plan"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Time’s up for mule deer on Catalina Island<\/p>\n

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has approved a plan to kill and sterilize roughly 2,200 mule deer on Catalina Island as part of a large-scale restoration effort. The project \u2014 proposed by the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy \u2014 also includes plans to monitor fauna, such as the island fox and monarch butterflies, and increase biodiversity by removing invasive vegetation and seeding native plants.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has approved a plan<\/a> to kill and sterilize roughly 2,200 mule deer on Catalina Island as part of a large-scale restoration effort. The project \u2014 proposed by the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy \u2014 also includes plans to monitor fauna, such as the Island fox and monarch butterflies, and increase biodiversity by removing invasive vegetation and seeding native plants.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Mule deer removal:<\/b> Professionals will likely use drones, thermal technology and dogs to detect the deer before shooting them, primarily at night. Some deer will also be caught, sterilized and tracked in an effort to draw out any last deer. The efforts are estimated to be completed by 2032.<\/p>\n

The history:<\/b> Nearly a dozen mule deer were introduced to the island beginning in the 1920s. Attempts to relocate deer off the island in 1948 failed.<\/p>\n

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The opposition:<\/b> In a letter<\/u><\/a> to the CDFW, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said she opposed the plan to “systematically slaughter the deer over the next five years,\u201d given the \u201cdeep public connection to these animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

It has worked before:<\/b> Roosevelt elk and mule deer \u2014 introduced to Santa Rosa Island for recreational hunting \u2014 were successfully eliminated<\/u><\/a> in 2011, giving native flora an opportunity to recover. On Santa Cruz Island, the removal of cows, sheep and pigs by 2007 gave the native and formerly endangered Santa Cruz Island fox an opportunity to recover<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n