WINNIPEG (Reuters)
- Tens of thousands of wild white-tailed deer are slowly starving
to death on the Canadian Prairies after a harsh, snowy winter
made it tough for them to find food, wildlife experts said Wednesday.
As the death
toll climbs, local farmers and residents are coming to the aid
of the animals by scattering hay and carrots for the animals.
"It's
pretty hard on them," said Doug Pastuck, a big game manager
employed by the Manitoba provincial government.
"They
only have so much reserves after summer feeding, so a long, drawn-out
winter with deep snow can cause them to go through their reserves
of fat and make it difficult for them to forage," he said.
A herd of
150,000 to 180,000 white-tailed deer normally ranges over the
province of Manitoba. Biologists say that over a normal winter
some 5 to 15 percent of a herd can die. This year, with severe
conditions, many more could succumb.
"The
animals most at risk would be the fauns of the year, which have
more difficulty dealing with the deep snow," Pastuck said.
"They're burning up a lot of energy just trying to move around."
Older deer
are also vulnerable, especially bucks who depleted their fat reserves
while rutting in the autumn.
The plight
of the animals has moved some people to lend a hand.
"I get
40 or 50 (deer) every night, right around my feedlot in my yard,"
said Eddie Bergstresser, a farmer who lives south of Manitoba's
capital, Winnipeg.
"We have
three dead ones there right now and another one that doesn't look
too good," said Bergstresser.
"It's
been a tough winter."
In some small
towns, both in southern Manitoba and neighboring eastern Saskatchewan,
deer are gathering beside grain elevators, looking for spills
from trains and trucks.
Some of the
deer in danger include those who live in a forest within Winnipeg.
That herd, of up to 600 animals, is reported to be 200 years old,
brought to the area by an Irish city founder.
An early spring,
with sunshine and rising temperatures to melt the snow cover,
would alleviate the problem, wildlife officials.
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