Spiked fences, railings a danger to wildlife: B.C. Conservation Officer Service

Have a spiked fence or railing and live near wildlife?

If you do, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service is asking that you retrofit it to something safer, to prevent possible animal impalement.

In a social media post on Thursday, the provincial wildlife agency said the department has had several calls recently regarding deer becoming impaled by pointed wrought-iron fences.

“We will spare you the graphic images, but spiked fences can cause animals to suffer as they struggle to free themselves,” the B.C. COS said in the Facebook post.

“In many cases, they die stuck on the fence or conservation officers are forced to euthanize them to end their misery. This situation is happening in communities across the province.”

The post continued, saying “wrought-iron fences are commonly seen as causing injuries to deer, but many railing patterns, particularly those with pointed pickets rising above the top rail, are the most likely to hurt an animal.

“There are simple design modifications to fencing installations or retrofits for existing wrought iron fencing that can make a big difference.”

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says officers in the Okanagan deal with impaled deer about once a month, and that incidents involving impaled animals can be horrific and traumatic.

According to Wildsafe B.C., “solid fencing (such as wood panel fences) help deter deer, as they usually will not jump a fence unless they can see where they will land.”