LA supervisors oppose plan to eradicate Catalina deer by shooting them from helicopters

LOS ANGELES — Last fall, the Catalina Island Conservancy labeled its plan to eliminate the island's invasive mule deer population, by employing helicopter-bound hunters armed with high-powered rifles, "bold and ambitious."

But the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors chose other descriptors, decrying the proposal in an opposition letter as "inhumane and drastic."

Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Santa Catalina Island, drafted the response — saying she was prompted by "an intense public outcry" that sprung up after the aerial sharpshooting proposal became public.

The nonnative mule deer conservancy. The deer have destroyed natural habitat — including native vegetation found only on the island — and exacerbated the risk of soil erosion in grazed-over areas.