Wild Deer Management

There are six main species of deer in the United Kingdom, Red, Fallow, Sika, Roe, Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer. All six are without natural predators in the UK other than man so that unless these populations are managed and up to 25% culled each year:

Numbers of deer will rise progressively and outstrip the available food
Their health and vigour will inevitably deteriorate.
Damage to crops and land will increase and become unacceptable in some areas
Death will be by disease, starvation or injury.

Welfare consequences of a ban on deer hunting

The Editor
The Times
1 Pennington Street
London,
E98 1TA
Published December 26, 2002

Welfare consequences of a ban on deer hunting

Dear Sir
As veterinary surgeons who contributed to a recent Symposium in London on the Welfare of British Wild Mammals, we may have disagreed on the significance and degree of stress suffered by hunted deer but we are in complete agreement that if deer hunting were to be banned the current satisfactory status of the West Country herds of red deer would be severely compromised. Well over half of English red deer reside in that small area of the nation where deer hunting continues to be practised. The hunts manage and maintain a healthy population and control numbers through hunting and stalking at levels far greater than would be tolerated in the absence of hunting.

Summary of a multiple Red deer wounding incident

at Bowbier Hill, near Bampton, Devon on 2nd February 2001

Location: Farm owned by Mr.T.A.H.Yandle of Riphay Barton, Dulverton, Somerset.

Persons involved: Initially Mr.Yandle and a Belgian stalker Mr.Baeten, aged about 25 years. Later witnesses included: Mr.T.E.H.Yandle (son of TAHY), Ms.Selinde Moolenburgh (Dutch visitor to the Yandles), two or more policemen summoned by TAHY, two further unnamed Belgians, friends of Mr.Baeten, Mr.Meyrick Griffith- Jones, organiser of the shooting party and Mr.M.C.Clark (friend of TAHY)

Police reference: Incident no.1066, 1800h, Tiverton Police station, PC Holwell.

Welfare considerations in the culling of wild red deer

The Editor
Veterinary Record
7 Mansfield Street
London
W1G 9NQ
Submitted July 9, 2003
Published July 19, 2003

Welfare considerations in the culling of wild red deer

Dear Editor