California wildlife officials have approved a plan to kill every mule deer on Catalina Island — up to 2,000 animals — using professional hunters over the next five years. The community is saying no.

Mule deer have been part of Catalina Island's landscape for nearly a century. They are not an abstract wildlife management problem. They are a beloved part of the island's identity, cherished by residents and visitors for generations.

The opposition is overwhelming. Avalon's City Council unanimously filed a formal objection. Los Angeles County officials called the plan inhumane. Congresswoman Janice Hahn called it drastic and cruel. Humane alternatives — sterilization and relocation — exist and have not been meaningfully pursued.

Wiping out an entire population of deer is irreversible. The community's voice must be heard before it is too late.

We call on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Catalina Island Conservancy to abandon the eradication plan and commit to humane, non-lethal alternatives.