There's a lot of love, my deer, in Oak Bay.
Oak Bay residents staged an "Outpouring of Love for the Deer" demonstration to show support for an alternative to culling the deer population on Wednesday, June 26.
Only a handful of activists started what would become a stuffed sidewalk full of people signing petitions, speaking out against the plan to cull and holding demonstration signs saying things like "No killing in Oak Bay."
The peaceful demonstration was in response to the council decision Monday, June 24, that voted in favour of asking the Capital Regional District to come up with a plan of action to cull the deer. (See story here.)
Demonstrators and police met in front of the Oak Bay Municipal Hall from 3-6 p.m. By 4pm, nearly 50 participants and passers by of all ages, including young children and seniors, had signed the petition or spoken on the issue. Demonstrators collected over 200 signatures by the end of the day.
Shoko Inoue, an Oak Bay pianist from Japan, spoke passionately about the issue.
"We must find a way to co-exist, because teaching our children that killing is the solution to our problems is a terrible message," Inoue said. "And who wants to live in a world where we have to hide things from our children?"
Another demonstration is planned for Saturday, June 29, 1-5 p.m. at the front of the Oak Bay Municipal Hall (2167 Oak Bay Ave).