This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

A horrific, senseless slaughter of more than 1,000 wild mule deer on Catalina Island off the coast of California is being promoted by the Catalina Island Conservancy — but there's still time to stop it. Urge officials not to approve a permit for this!

The ironically named Conservancy has applied for a permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to hire White Buffalo, Inc. to shoot every single one of over 1,000 innocent, defenseless deer with high-powered rifles and helicopters.

The aerial gunmen will chase down terrified deer and shoot them dead, a massacre as gruesome as it is unnecessary. Deer bodies will be left to rot on the ground, because the Conservancy claims that the cost of removing the murdered deer will be too expensive. Even some of the island's licensed deer hunters oppose the slaughter for being extreme, unprecedented, and unnecessary.

The large population of mule deer has been living peacefully on the 48,000-acre island for almost 100 years, since being introduced in the 1930s, delighting the island's small human population of 4,500 residents and thousands of tourists who visit Catalina Island every day from cruise ships, or mainland California.

Most islanders are horrified by the killing plan, except those who have bought into the Conservancy's unsupported claims that the deer eat too much “native” vegetation — despite no scientific studies verifying this purely anecdotal claim.

Climate change and drought are likely contributors to the island's vegetation loss, including which types of vegetation survive and which don't. Again, no scientific studies support the Conservancy's claims that blame the mule deer for destroying “native” vegetation over any other kind of plant food that deer naturally eat.

Furthermore, even if they were, common sense dictates there is no practical need to massacre 1,000 deer who are part of the island's ecosystem. The deer are arguably more “native” than the human population and human development of the island. The majority of Catalina's population, who live in the town of Avalon, which some deer frequent during drought, oppose the Conservancy's planned deer slaughter.

The Conservancy is repeating previously failed tactics: twice before it filed for CDFW deer-killing permits, in 2012 and 2016 — and twice was rejected. Rejection by the CDFW has been for two reasons, including a lack of scientific research to support its claims of mule deer ecological impact, and a lack of public transparency and input the CDFW requires.

Now again, in 2023, the Conservancy is ignoring the will of the people and bypassing public input to avoid public outrage.

But there is still time to save the deer! The deer slaughtering permit has not yet been granted. You can tell the CDFW and elected officials that you are appalled and that you oppose the inhumane, unnecessary slaughter of Catalina Island's innocent mule deer.

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.