The beautiful sea-side town of St. Andrews, New Brunswick, is home to many - from friendly locals to a thriving deer population. Over recent years, the number of deer has created cause for concern among local government, as a result, creating a "Nuisance Deer Management Assistance Program". Don't be fooled by this fancy program title. The Nuisance Deer Management Assistance Program, also known as the NDMAP, is just a fancy way of labeling a town Deer cull. The program is designed to give those who apply for a permit the ability to hunt and kill the "extra" deer in town. The town claims because the deer are a nuisance that this is their solution. 

That's right, folks. It's the year 2021 and the solution to a "nuisance" is to kill it. Kill a helpless animal, who has every right to be there, because some people feel they are a nuisance. 

Let's get real for a second. If these "nuisances" were stray dogs or cats this wouldn't even be a topic of conversation. No one would ever have a dog hunt or a cat hunt where you could just go out and kill one after you apply for a permit. No! Why? Because that would be outrageous. So why is it any different for deer? Sure, one is a pet and the other is a wild animal, but aside from how you label them, domesticated verses wild, the only difference lies with how we perceive them. How we treat them. How we "deal" with them. So I ask you, why is the life of a deer less important than that of your family pet? 

As a tourist landmark, St. Andrews attracts people from all over, many of whom are taken aback by the beautiful views and the various types of wildlife. This includes the roaming deer throughout town. As a community, we cannot decide to be advocates for certain types of wildlife but not for others, based on their level of (in)convenience.

If you agree, please sign this petition urging local government to explore alternative, harmless ways to manage the deer population in St. Andrews.