A recent deer attack on a local dog has garnered a lot of public attention especially from Cranbrook City Hall.

A video shot by a City resident on June 6, 2010, begins with a small fawn huddling by a parked car on 10th Avenue, followed shortly after by the fawn’s mother attacking a neighbourhood dog. The video itself, posted on YouTube was close to one million hits, as of Friday June 25.

City staff has been dealing with questions about public safety from concerned citizens, since the video of the incident was made public. Most of those questions are followed by inquiries about what the City plans to do about the urban deer.

The growing urban deer population has been something Council and many residents have been concerned about. Wildlife, including urban deer, falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment.

“The fact that the Ministry manages wildlife issues doesn’t mean Council can’t initiate discussions to hopefully resolve the problem,” says Mayor Scott Manjak. “Members of Council and I are scheduled to meet with representatives with the Ministry of the Environment in the very near future to discuss the problem and identify possible solutions.”

Residents are advised to do their best to minimize contact with the local deer population, especially if young offspring are close by. Does can and often will protect their young from any perceived threat.

Meanwhile, further up the highway, Kimberley City Hall is seeking the opinion of the citizenry on that town’s urban deer herd..

The City of Kimberley is surveying residents to get a handle on just how big a problem Kimberlarians think their deer population is.

The survey is now available online. It will also be coming to all households by mail. The survey will provide needed information in advance of striking a committee to look at the deer question and come to a management decision.

The City of Kimberley is looking for all surveys to be returned by August 20, 2010.

Questions include: rating your concern over the number of deer from not concerned at all to very concerned; your main concerns - whether it’s deer aggression, deer damage, deer/vehicle collisions; have you or any member of your family ever been threatened by a deer; has your pet been threatened; ever had property damage attributable to a deer; do you feed deer, etc.

The survey is the survey is the first step in arriving at a deer management plan for Kimberley. It was suggested by the recently released provincial report on urban deer, which was released to all municipalities last month. The committee is also a suggestion from that report, and it appears that the province is willing to provide support and expertise for these municipal committees. The City of Kimberley will be seeking citizens to sit on the committee, which is likely to be formed in September.