Loading ...Why the UK Culls Deer
If you have ever been lucky enough to sit and watch deer grazing in the morning mist you will appreciate their beauty, their majesty and their nimble playfulness, they are a delight to watch.
Britain is very lucky, we have six species of deer living in our parks and woodlands. Red deer and Roe deer are indigenous to the British Isles, the Fallow was introduced by the Romans and Muntjac, Sika and Chinese Water deer were all introduced by the Victorians.
Our human population is ever increasing, requiring more intensive farming to provide our food and deer habitats are decreasing, with natural deer predators having been largely removed from our countryside. This leads to limited space for deer to roam, limited resources for deer and increased risk of accidents on roads.
Deer naturally damage trees, shrubs and crops. They use trees for fraying, which is a territorial act wherein they rub against trees and trash their antlers against them removing the bark. Also when deer feed in woodland the trees can become stunted, they simply do not grow as fast as they should, this is called browsing and causes permanent damage.
When natural habitats are damaged in this way where there are large numbers of deer other wildlife species suffer, as well as the habitat itself.
We cannot increase the habitat for deer without reducing our farming land, therefore deer numbers must be controlled.
Whilst culling never sounds attractive it is necessary where numbers outgrow their habitats, as can be seen on the British Deer Society website, where they explain not only why culling is necessary but also how it is performed and how they train people to carry out the control of deer numbers.
For those concerned about fawns being left to starve the British Deer Society display the close season dates for around the UK. Culling of deer does not take place during these times.
There is also some excellent information and photographs on the Woodlands.co.uk website.
Both of these organisations are passionate about protecting our British wildlife and woodlands so would not resort to culling unless it was completely necessary.
If man and wildlife are to share our island then controls must be used to ensure every species has a safe and resourceful habitat to thrive in.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:45 pm
The so-called “closed season” is a joke. It is perfectly legal to apply for a licence to shoot red deer in scotland after the Feb closing date. And it WILL be granted by the DCS in a heartbeat. Earlier this year someone blew the whistle on one local Estate shooting hinds so far along the fawns inside could have walked away after gralloching. This is a matter of public record and has sparked an investigation which is still ongoing.
What a load of bollocks the public is being fed about red deer damaging forestry. Gamies up here are absolutely sick about the genocide being wreaked on the scottish red deer. They are being herded by helicopter and shot in narrow defile areas under the guise of the choppers being used for ‘transport’. The price estates get from the game dealers is so low it is not worth their while to transport them to the larders so carcases are left to rot on the hill. The DCS agenda is politically motivated by the anti-sporting factions. The massive deer culls up here are all about devaluing the large shooting estates so their sporting value is adversely affected and they are gradually driven into receivership.
If you really want the inside story on the how and why of deer culling you need to speak to the gamekeepers themselves and stop buying into the bs fed the public by the DCS and BDS.
September 26th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Hi Crathiegirl, thanks for your comments and so sad to read what is happening up in Scotland (and I doubt it stops there). I am not sure I would buy into either sides accounts wholly, the sporting lobby talks of stags and deer “enjoying the chase”, which I find rather offensive …. anything with eyes like saucers and a heart trying to explode out of it’s chest is not in my poinion having a fun time. But I do accept each side has an agenda and their information reflects that agenda.