Due to urban sprawl into former agricultural lands, the urban deer population has increased. Other factors contributing to this include: a lack of predators, regulations prohibiting firearms discharge, and an abundance of ideal habitat in the form of green spaces.
Overbrowsed vegetation
In locations where populations are not controlled, deer herds became too large for the area to sustain. Overbrowsing endangers local biodiversity by eliminating other species' habitat and food supply.
Another major concern caused by overpopulation is the transmission of disease. As deer often carry blacklegged ticks infected with Lyme Disease, they can then transmit the disease to people and other animals.
Map of Deer-Vehicle Collisions
Every year, Manitoban drivers report 6,500 to 8,000 deer-vehicle collisions. Manitoba Public Insurance has estimated that the yearly cost of wildlife related collisions, with 65-80% of those being deer, cost Manitobans $27 million annually. In 2012, the City of Winnipeg alone confirmed as many as 300 deer-vehicle collisions.
Based on statistics from 2007 to 2013, the City of Winnipeg was fourth in the province for deer-vehicle collisions with an average of 600 annual collisions. Typically, November is the worst month for wildlife-vehicle collisions (1,600), followed by October (1,400).
After suffering from near-extinction in the early 1900's, the Canada Goose population has rebounded and now Winnipeg is faced with overpopulation. Due to the city's abundance of rivers and retention ponds, geese can thrive on the abundance of food, water, and available nesting spaces.
Canada Goose in a eutrophic pond.
Canada Geese typically excrete one pound of feces per day, thereby causing eutrophication and algal growth in Winnipeg's waterways. This results in economic stress in environmental cleanup costs.
Resident Canada Geese can become aggressive.
As resident geese do not migrate long distances from cities, they become territorial and lose their fear of humans. Furthermore, they become more aggressive as people feed them and view people as food sources, instead of potential predators.
While the average citizen may not see any actions taken by the City of Winnipeg to address the issue of wildlife overpopulation, urban wildlife biologists are aware of these challenges and are examining methods to address them. Unfortunately, due to the lack of resources, results may not be seen for some time.
Urban Wildlife Biologist, Dr. Erin McCance, believes the societal mindset regarding co-existence with wildlife needs to be re-adjusted in order that sustainable solutions can be reached. In addition to this, citizens need to be aware of the far-reaching implications of their actions as regards wildlife. Lastly, by understanding the importance of this issue, scientists and designers can work in conjunction with the public to create sustainable management and design solutions.
After interviewing a number of Winnipeggers, it became apparent that the majority are unaware of overpopulation issues or are complacent as to whether or not actions to should taken to manage the current situation.
Wildlife Corridor
Upon conducting research regarding this subject, it became obvious that effective management and design solutions are imminently needed by the City of Winnipeg. While each citizen can participate in this process of responsible management by making choices such as landscaping their yards with native plants that are repellent to deer and geese, the city must also make critical decisions as a whole. By connecting habitat fragments, such as the Assiniboine Forest, with wildlife corridors, biodiversity can be maintained and altercations between wildlife and people will be minimized.
