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Residents in an Edmonton neighbourhood are calling on the city to modify the type of fencing situated near areas with wildlife after several deer were impaled on a fence and had to be euthanized.

On Wednesday afternoon, a deer attempted to jump over a fence in the city’s Cameron Heights neighbourhood, near the North Saskatchewan River Valley, and became impaled on the fence’s sharp spires.

“This deer was impaled quite deeply into its groin and the damage was fairly substantial,” Dennis Prodan, a district fish and wildlife officer, told CTV Edmonton. “It struggled a little bit in the fence too, so it increased the damage.”

To end the animal’s suffering, an officer with Alberta Fish and Wildlife shot the deer.

It’s not the first time a deer has gotten into trouble on this particular fence, according to Prodan.

Nearly two weeks ago, Prodan said another deer was impaled on the fence’s spires in much the same way.

Perdeep Dhillon, a resident in the area, said it was sad to see wildlife at risk because of the neighbourhood’s fencing.

“The neighbourhood has been quite interested in getting these fences changed,” she said. “They’re quite dangerous. They’ve got these sharp spear heads on top of them and the animals seem to be getting caught on them quite a bit.”

The city councillor for the neighbourhood, Sarah Hamilton, said she’s received a number of calls from constituents about the fences.

“It’s pretty significant for the community,” she said.

Hamilton said her office and members from The Cameron Heights Community League community group have tried to contact the developer that installed the fence where the latest two incidents occurred. They have not heard back.

CTV Edmonton has also reached out to them for comment, but hasn’t received a response yet.

“We're looking into if this was a fence that's allowed,” Hamilton said. “If it isn't, we can take steps. But if it was a fence that was allowed we need to have a conversation about developments near the River Valley.”

At the very least, Dhillon said the community is looking into adding a solid strip of metal across the top of the fence to cover the sharp spires.

“People need to be cognizant of the structures that they put in place, even in residential areas, and know how it affects wildlife,” Prodan said.

With a report from CTV Edmonton’s Matt Woodman