ANN ARBOR, MI - January’s deer cull in Ann Arbor is facing at least two organized protests.

The Friends of Ann Arbor Wildlife in Nature, or FAAWN, have scheduled a pair of demonstrations, said the organization’s spokeswoman Cathy Shafer.

This year’s deer cull started Thursday, Jan. 2, and runs from 3 p.m. to midnight everyday until Jan. 26. The city hired sharpshooting contractor White Buffalo to kill up to 150 deer, addressing overpopulation concerns.

FAAWN is morally opposed to shooting deer in the city and believes city finances spent on deer management should go to other priorities.

The first protest is 6:15 to 6:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6, at City Hall, 301 E. Huron St. The meeting is scheduled prior to the 7 p.m. Ann Arbor City Council meeting, and demonstrators plan to speak at the meeting during public comment.

A second protest is 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, on the sidewalk in front of Whole Foods, 3135 Washtenaw Ave.

Neither of the planned protests are at approved shoot sites. Last year, two police cars directed FAAWN to cease chanting and yelling during one of the shoots.

Ann Arbor Police will respond to trespassers during culling hours, and violations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, A2gov says.

FAAWN also showed up at the home of former City Council Member Stephen Kunselman, then a private citizen, who said people honked horns and yelled at him.

Shortly after these incidents, City Council Member Jane Lumm pursued an injunction against the group on the grounds that protesters violated state law.

Lumm cited a law that makes disrupting the lawful killing of animals a misdemeanor crime punishable by up to 93 days in jail and/or a fine up to $1,000 plus the cost of prosecution.

Her proposal was voted down 6-5 at meeting last year on Jan. 7, with one of the deciding votes coming from Mayor Christopher Taylor. He personally opposes the deer removal program.

City Council approved the deer management program five years ago to curb, among other things, deer-related vehicle accidents. Another goal was to limit deer from grazing nature areas, as well as private residents’ gardens.

The city released non-lethal strategies to address this concern, also known as deer browsing. These include, but are not limited to, scaring deer off properties, installing fences around homes and gardens or dousing plants with repellents.

There is also an Ann Arbor ordinance prohibiting deer feeding, with a few exceptions. Violating this prohibition can lead to a $100 fine.

FAAWN may schedule further protests throughout the remainder of this month’s cull, Shafer said.