The Victoria-based Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society tagged 20 does in the first phase of a project to manage urban deer in Oak Bay. File photo.
Officials of a project geared at managing the deer population in Oak Bay say they wrapped up the first phase by hitting all of its targets last month.
Victoria-based Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society (UWSS) captured, radio-collared and released 20 does within Oak Bay, which will help provide information on the ecology of urban deer through movement patterns, density and population size.
The next phase later this year will test the effectiveness of contraceptives administered to female deer.
The UWSS team is made up of scientists, wildlife veterinarians, biologists, graduate students, animal behaviourists and volunteers.
The collars placed on the does are colour-coded for identification and weigh less than a pound.
Images will be collected through resident submissions and trail cameras throughout Oak Bay to go along with GPS data to help give accuracy to urban deer population size and space in the community.
Five bucks were also tagged, but did not get fitted with a GPS collar.
The UWSS says the aim of the project is to gradually reduce the population of black-tailed deer in Oak Bay through a science-based, non-lethal approach.
The volunteer group adds if successful, the project would serve as a template for urban deer management around North America.
Andy Neal
