Animal Alliance of Canada – “Hundreds of deer face slaughter if the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks proceeds to reduce the population in Short Hills Provincial Park from 400 to 48.”
“The belief that there are ‘too many’ deer reflects a Ministry value judgment”, said Barry MacKay, Wildlife Advisor to Animal Alliance of Canada.” The deer don’t damage the environment. They are part of it. – Barry MacKay, Wildlife Advisor to Animal Alliance of Canada
A Message from the Animal Alliance of Canada, a a federally incorporated non-profit organization committed to the protection of all animals and to the promotion of a harmonious relationship among humans, non-humans and the environment
Posted November 18th, 2025 on Niagara At Large
Niagara, Ontario – The Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks claims that despite the yearly six-day deer hunt, the population of deer remains too high at 400 animals and must be reduced to 48 to protect Short Hills Park (located on lands stretching across the municipal borders of St. Catharines, Thorold and Pelham). In order to achieve this goal the Ministry must kill over 350 deer.
“The Ministry has not said how the goal of 48 would be achieved since the park boundaries are contiguous with good deer habitat all around the park, allowing migrating deer to cross the boundaries”, said Liz White, Founding Director, Animal Alliance of Canada.
“In order to achieve their artificial concept of a ‘balanced’ population, they will have to engage in multiple years of culling.”
“The belief that there are ‘too many’ deer reflects a Ministry value judgment”, said Barry MacKay, Wildlife Advisor to Animal Alliance of Canada.” The deer don’t damage the environment. They are part of it.
“When deer numbers exceed the ability of a habitat to sustain them, they show signs of distress, including weight loss, reduced fecundity, and even starvation. The deer examined by Ministry biologists over the last 11 years of the First Nations hunt, were found to be healthy, in good body condition, and certainly produced many fawns.”
“We were shocked to learn that the Ministry is considering killing 88% of the deer in Short Hills,” said Robin Zavitz, Short Hills Wildlife Alliance. “We learned about the drastic measures through media reports not from the government and not from our local MPP. The community has a right to know what the Ministry is considering, but despite repeated requests for more information, the Ministry has remained silent.”
About the Animal Alliance of Canada – The Animal Alliance of Canada is a federally incorporated non-profit organization committed to the protection of all animals and to the promotion of a harmonious relationship among humans, non-humans and the environment. As a non-profit, we use electoral politics and lobbying as strategies to make the legislators pass sound animal and environmental protection laws.
Animal Alliance of Canada was founded in August of 1990. We have supporters across Canada and are funded entirely by private donations.
For more on the Animal Alliance of Canada, click on – Homepage – Animal Alliance of Canada
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Unacceptable. This is a war by our own Government on our environment using FNs people as the “tool”. Please come out to Short Hills Park Pelham Road entrance from 4-6pm on Fri and Sat Nov 28 and 29 to protest against the unnecessary slaughter of the Park’s residents. This is not good use of our tax dollars and not the intended use of Ontario’s smallest provincial park.
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