“Sham restoration sets a deadly precedent for California’s wildlife” – In Defense Of Animals
Mule deer fawn on the Channel Islands. Photo: NPS
CATALINA ISLAND, Calif. (Feb. , 2026) — In Defense of Animals is expressing profound outrage and sorrow following the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) decision to approve the Catalina Island Conservancy’s deadly, controversial, and unpopular plan to eradicate the island’s entire mule deer population. Despite widespread public opposition and a previous victory that forced the abandonment of a helicopter-gunning scheme, state officials have now greenlit a ground-based massacre that will pay professional sharpshooters to hunt down and kill every one of the island’s deer.
Opposition being ignored
This decision ignores the pleas of thousands of residents and the objections of Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who previously led the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to oppose the Conservancy’s killing plan. It also disregards the expert caution of L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, who has stated that removing the deer could actually increase fire risks by allowing vegetation fuel loads to grow unchecked — directly contradicting the Conservancy’s primary justification for the slaughter.
“Today is a dark day for California’s wildlife and a betrayal of the public trust,” said Lisa Levinson, Campaigns Director for In Defense of Animals. “The Conservancy has rebranded a massacre as ‘restoration,’ swapping helicopters for ground squads to make the bloodshed more palatable to the public. But the result is the same: the senseless violent death of a beloved herd that has lived peacefully on the island for a century. We are heartbroken that the state has chosen bullets over biology and compassion.”
Mule Deer Generations On Island
Mule deer have been living on Catalina Island for over one hundred years and have integrated into the ecosystem. Despite this, the approved plan allows the Conservancy to hire private contractors to systematically kill the deer over several years, beginning with a fenced “pilot zone” of 10 acres near the Airport in the Sky before expanding to a 105-acre zone and eventually the entire island. While the Conservancy claims, without scientific proof, that the deer threaten native plants and increase fire danger, In Defense of Animals argues these claims are ideologically driven rather than actually proven.
Jack Gescheidt, Wildlife Consultant for In Defense of Animals, condemned the approval as a symptom of a larger industry problem.
“This plan is a sad product of the restoration industry, which often expends huge sums of public dollars to exterminate entire species under the tragically ironic guise of ‘conservation,’” said Gescheidt. “The mule deer integrated into Catalina Island’s ecosystem decades ago. Scapegoating them for climate change and drought-driven vegetation loss is scientifically dishonest. It is madness to authorize and finance wildly expensive and bloody animal extermination campaigns that do nothing to solve the larger ecological problem that is being ignored — the climate crisis. Just leave the deer alone.”
Deer Being Blamed
In Defense of Animals notes that the deer are being blamed for ecological changes driven primarily by human development and climate change. The Conservancy aims to protect “native” vegetation; yet the deer have lived peacefully on Catalina Island for nearly 100 years without suddenly threatening the entire ecosystem. No third-party scientific studies have validated the group’s “invasive” claims.
Furthermore, the Conservancy has made wild, inaccurate estimates of the mule deer population to justify the slaughter. Their estimate of 1,700-2,000 deer was based on a 2021 spotlight survey that extrapolated data from a small subset to the entire island. Islanders, who live nearest the deer, estimate the population is actually between 400 and 800.
“These exaggerations are typical of the ‘exterminate-to-restore’ mentality that falls back on controlling, managing and almost always killing wild plants and animals,” added Gescheidt.
In Defense of Animals has long championed the rights of wildlife on Catalina Island. Photo: In Defense of Animals
In Defense of Animals has been defending the Catalina Island wildlife for years. It is part of the island’s citizen group, The Coalition to Save Catalina Island Deer with the joint aim of protecting the island’s wild mule deer from any killing or interference, including hunting or sterilization. Over 13,600 In Defense of Animals supporters wrote to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Governor Gavin Newsom, and other officials asking them to oppose this brutal plan.
In Defense of Animals is now calling on its supporters to voice their continued opposition to the Conservancy and state officials.
Levinson called for further action, saying, “We urge the public to keep contacting state officials to tell them this lethal, sham ‘restoration’ sets a deadly precedent for wildlife management across the state.”
For the Silo, Jack Gescheidt.