Residents of St. Malo are ecstatic to have their deer statue and civic icons back.

The statue was removed nearly five years ago when a developer purchased the land they were on.

In the 1990’s, a partnership between Manitoba Conservation, the City of Winnipeg, St. Malo and the District Wildlife Association relocated an overpopulation of deer from the Winnipeg area into the St. Malo wild. The statue was then built in commemoration of the conservation effort. “They were captured with nets, then were moved with trailers,” recounts Reeve Darrel Cure, RM of De Salaberry, “and with that, the statue came along.”

The relocation was completed by volunteers and according to Cure, “that’s why it means so much to them”. Immediately after the installation he notes, “there were lots of people driving by and honking their horns.” He says the RM also received many comments on social media indicating "how proud they are to see them standing once again.”

The statue’s new location is a short distance south of where it used to be, at the corner of Highway 59 and Avenue De La Grotte. “The land had been reclaimed in 2011,” Reeve Cure explains. “We purchased the land where the statue is currently standing, and we’re going to turn that into a community green-space”.

Cure mentions that the RM has sent in applications hoping to receive funding available as a result of extra grants made available by "Manitoba 150". “For right now, it will be a simple green space,” says Cure, “some grass, maybe native grasses in one area, we’re talking shrubs and trees, potentially sidewalks, and maybe it will develop into a park.”

Cure calls the deer " the trademark of St Malo” and says he is happy to have them home.

Read more: Oh Deer, They're Coming Back