Photo of a deer near the road by Pascal-L-Marius/	iStock / Getty Images PlusPhoto of a deer near the road by Pascal-L-Marius/ iStock / Getty Images Plus
Chatham

Rondeau Provincial Park closed this weekend for deer hunt

Officials at Rondeau Provincial Park say the park will be closed this weekend to reduce the number of deer roaming around and eating vegetation.

The deer herd reduction (DHR) will once again be conducted in partnership with Delaware Nation at Moraviantown First Nation.

The park will be closed to the public on Saturday, December 7, 2024 and Sunday, December 8, 2024.

It will reopen on Monday, December 9, 2024 at 8:30 a.m.

"Public safety is the utmost priority for the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and Ontario Parks. Therefore, all access points will be monitored by park staff, and public entry will be prohibited. For safety reasons, during the DHR, we ask that you do not enter the park and that you comply with all posted notices," advised Rondeau Provincial Park staff.

Rondeau is home to old growth Carolinian forest along with extensive coastal wetland.

The deer population is reduced from time to time when the number of deer gets too high and becomes too difficult to control.

Park officials have said in the past that deer are a valued part of the ecosystem, but Rondeau's high deer population is having major "undesirable" effects on the park's vegetation and other valued wildlife species.

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