Controversial Plan To Shoot Catalina Island Deer From Helicopters Killed

LOS ANGELES, CA — Since they were brought to Catalina Island a century ago, mule deer have wreaked havoc on the island's ecosystem. So wildlife officials cooked up a plan: Use a helicopter to shoot thousands of deer dead. But now the controversial plan has been shelved as officials look for other, less severe methods to restore Catalina's ecological balance.

The deer were among the animals — along with pigs, goats and the island's famous bison — brought to Catalina as a way to promote hunting tourism. They've since proliferated and now number some 1,770 individuals, whose plant-based diet have eradicated some native plants. That ecological damage could leave the island more vulnerable to wildfires because it allows more fire-prone vegetation to thrive, according to officials.

The Catalina Island Conservancy had originally proposed the helicopter shooting operation. But two petitions that have amassed nearly 90,000 signatures, along with pushback from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County Fish and Wildlife Commission announced Wednesday.

In a special meeting Wednesday morning, the commission decided to rework plans to address the more than 1,770 mule deer on the island.

"I appreciate the conservancy for listening to the serious concerns people had about this plan, especially from people living on the island," Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents Catalina, said in a statement. "I heard from residents who were terrified at the thought of bullets raining down from helicopters over their beloved island and others who couldn't stand the thought of the deer carcasses that would be left in their wake."

Lauren Dennhardt, senior director of conservation for the Catalina Island Conservancy, said that the conservancy is heeding Hahn's request and is "working on revising our plan to prioritize other methodologies."

The Board of Supervisors raised other possible solutions, including relocating the deer and extending the deer hunting season to thin the heard, and sterilization, similar to how the island's non-native bison have been made unable to reproduce.

But Dennhardt had previously told the Los Angeles Daily News that Hahn's suggested plans are unlikely to work and that total elimination of the deer population was the only way to save the island's natural environment.

A regular hunting season is set to take place this fall as officials work out a new plan, Dennhardt said.

City News Service contributed to this report.