There have been many letters in your newspaper regarding the proposed deer cull.
Although I promised myself I would not say a word, I now feel compelled to write.
Over Christmas my family and I felt how lucky we are to be living in such a beautiful community. We are all healthy and happy and were enjoying a meal at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel overlooking the beautiful scenery. Life is good.
Then out of the blue my granddaughter, who is six, asked me why the mayor wanted to kill the deer?
I was surprised that such a young person would wonder about these things. I knew any answer I gave would not be the right one. There is no real reason, I finally had to say, except some people don’t like them.
As any grandparent knows, a child needs more of an explanation and she continued. She thinks the deer are sweet and like all animals should never be hurt because they are as important as humans.
It seems that more than a few children in her class are aware of this proposal and obviously it is bothering her.
That night it started to bother me too. Why?
Yes I have heard the reasons, and some may be justified. But why do we have to kill something when it gets in our way?
Who are we? As she would ask. The beautiful thoughts I had of that day, our day together as a family, our day looking at the ocean and Willows Beach and Uplands Park, were now gone.
Why did that question from an innocent six-year-old child ruin that day? I ask why? And I wonder, what will happen to our thoughts of beautiful Oak Bay when we and the children know that innocent deer were killed for no real reason.
It is truly a shame.
Robert J. Laidlaw
Oak Bay