Point Pelee's cull needed to keep a balanced ecosystem

Point Pelee National Park closed betweenJanuary 10 and 26 for a deer cull to reduce the population by 50.

The deer population was estimated at 120before the cull, up from 103 last January, according to Tammy Dobbie, the park's ecologist. The park works with the Caldwell First Nation, who take the deer for personal and ceremonial use.

"After our deer herd reduction activities this year [the population]is still above the carrying capacity we like to see in a healthy ecosystem in the park," said Dobbie, estimating the amount of deer at 70 or 71.

• Point Pelee to close for two-week deer cull
• 36 deer 'removed' from Point Pelee park in deer cull

The park has been actively managing deer since the late 1980s or early 1990s.As of 2014, a new deer reduction strategy was introduced.

"In the last five years, we have been actively managing the deer in a very similar way in a partnership with the Caldwell First Nation," said Dobbie.

The deer no longer have natural predators, so Point Pelee keeps an eye on the park's ecosystem to make sure it can handle the deer that live there.

"They're hyper-abundant," said Dobbie about the deer."They're at a level where there will be significant impact on the vegetation of the park and in turn if the vegetation is impacted it puts different species at risk."

The park will continue to work with the Caldwell First Nation to make sure the deer and other wildlife populations stay healthy.

"What's more important is the impactthe deer is having on the population," said Dobbie. "Ultimately that's going to show us what the park can support and still have a healthy balanced ecosystem."