Gwaii Haanas

Sitka deer

In the isolated Haida Gwaii archipelago, the Sitka deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis), imported initially as a source of food, have expanded rapidly and caused dramatic changes in the rainforest habitat by destroying the forest undergrowth. The Sitka deer is native to the wet coastal rain forests of Southeast Alaska and north-coastal British Columbia, where their population is controlled by natural predators. There are no grizzly bears, no wolves, coyotes or foxes, no cougars, lynx or bobcat on Haida Gwaii, which are all natural predators for the deer in their original habitat. In this image, A Sitka deer grazes at K'uuna Llnagaay (Skedans), Haida Gwaii, BC

Sitka blacktailed deerOdocoileus hemionus sitkensisgrazinggrassWestern red cedartreesdoeinvasive speciesHaida Heritage SiteLouise IslandK'oona LlnagaayHaida GwaiiBritish Columbia