UPDATE: The Court has Denied Our Request for a Preliminary Injunction

Yesterday, we told you that the judge assigned to our case had taken our request for a preliminary injunction under submission and had not issued a final ruling from the bench.

Today, the Court issued its written decision.  Our request for a preliminary injunction has been denied.

The written ruling rests on essentially the same grounds we described in last night's update.  Judge Kin concluded that we had not shown enough interim harm to justify an injunction while the case proceeds.

We strongly disagree with that conclusion for all the reasons we shared with you last night.

It is important to understand what today's ruling does NOT decide.  The Court did NOT rule that the Conservancy's deer-eradication program is lawful, and it did NOT finally resolve the merits of our lawsuit. The trial date is currently set.

This case is not over. We are reviewing the ruling carefully with counsel and evaluating what comes next.

In the meantime, we are asking everyone on Catalina Island to be especially careful in the interior of the island. Deer-removal activities may be underway, and your safety comes first.  Do not approach active shooting or removal operations.

If you encounter a deer carcass, please photograph it from a safe distance without disturbing or moving it, and send us the photographs along with the location, date, and approximate time if you can. We also want to hear about any deer-removal activity you see or hear-vehicles, equipment, baiting sites, shooting, capture operations, personnel or anything else that may help us document what is happening.

Text photos and information, or call with tips, to the Catalina Deer Activity Hotline:

(424) 334-1550

This is all hands on deck. Please help us document what happens on the island in the days and weeks ahead.

Thank you for continuing to stand with Catalina's deer.