Sitka deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) grazing at K'uuna Llnagaay (Skedans), Gwaii Haanas, BC
A Sitka deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) grazes on K'uuna Llnagaay, BC. The Sitka deer are not indigenous to the remote islands of Haida Gwaii. They were introduced as a food source as early as 1878 and, due in part to the lack of natural predators, the deer population has exploded, reaching all but the most isolated islands in the archipelago. Their rapacious grazing has destroyed the forest understory, including the Western red cedar seedlings and the salal, important bird and small mammal habitat, and the medicinal plants important to the indigenous culture. Attempts to eradicate the deer have met with limited success. Their grazing has transformed the grounds of this ancient village into an unnatural park-like setting. A possible advantage is that the grazing has retarded the disintegration of the wooden artifacts, which would have naturally been taken over by salal, ferns, tree seedlings and other plants.
Size: 5000px × 3333px
Location: K'uuna Llnagaay (Skedans), Louise Island, Gwaii Haanas, BC
Photo credit: © Terry Allen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: british, charlotte, columbia, deer, eaten, grazing, gwaii, haida, hemionus, island, islands, kuuna, llnagaay, louise, north, odocoileus, queen, rainforest, sitka, sitkensis, skedans, temperate, understory
