Listener Feedback: The conflict between wildlife & city dwellers

Rick Gunderson of Victoria writes:

Opponents of the cull are suffering from "bambification". Deer - while cute - are wild animals and need to be treated as such. If there was a cougar in Oak Bay there would be no discussion whatsoever. My preference would be to relocate the deer but if that is not possible or practical, then cull them.

This is from Mary Simms of Vancouver:

Before we started building into forests, plains and mountains, animals lived and died as nature intended. If animals start to interfere with human's enjoyment of our environment, they are purposely killed. When animals kill humans, it is by accident. Our species superiority complex knows no bounds. Perhaps we should be talking about how to minimize our encroachment on their turf.

Kent Milani of Calgary wrote:

Deer getting aggressive? Yes, cull a few, and there's your 'hundred mile diet' of 'organic meat' and heck, even a very practical addition to food banks. Get over it -- tofu fields displace wildlife, too.

And finally, this is from Patricia Remy who lives in Peterborough Ontario:

When my condo was built, several acres of wooded habitat were eradicated. A wildlife corridor was reduced to the minimum. There are not too many deer, coyotes, and raccoons; there are too many of us. Humans hog more than their fair share of the planet.

If you missed Friday's segment on the increasing number of clashes between urban wildlife and their human neighbours, you can stream it on our website.

Here are some pictures from listeners up close and personal with urban wildlife.

Marshalynn Mildon captured this photo of two deer resting in the Ross Bay Cemetary, in Victoria BC, beside such notables as Emily Carr and Amor de Cosmos, the first premier of BC.

Aurora Schmidt with Weyerhaeuser's Grande Prairie mill in Alberta says this Joe hangs out ever morning at the smoke pit ... and a heard of deer and elk live in the log yards are not afraid of heavy equipment.

A familiar sight for many ... a raccoon cozy on a roof in downtown Ottawa, just across from the Nature Museum fittingly. Paul Lalonde who sent in this picture tells us the hole in his neighbour's roof is getting bigger, making this guy a permanent fixture.

Dennis Wiatzka just lives outside downtown Calgary ... here's the view from his living room.

Neil Edelman In Montréal says a lot of skunks and raccoons descend from the mountain on garbage day.

Ken on Twitter sent us this picture from Jasper, "our critters are a bit different."

Last year, artist Sherri Rogers created a series of paintings based on animal stories in the news, editorializing and illustrating clashes between civilization and the animal world. She paired the paintings with the actual news stories.

If you've had an urban encounter with wildlife, tell us your story and send us your picture.