The prestigious Australian academic journal, ‘Wildlife Research’ recently published a special issue dedicated to the Ecology and Management of Wild Deer in Australia.
The special issue was edited by experienced deer researchers Dr David Forsyth, Dr Tony Pople and Dr Graham Nugent and was sponsored by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions (CISS) and the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
Whilst CISS has developed a predilection for engaging in hyped and divisive rhetoric with regard to wild deer, it is pleasing that the editors and publishers of this journal have not followed suit, preferring a more objective, evidence based approach to wild deer management.
The special edition is a compilation of fourteen papers considering impacts, population dynamics, disease risk, animal welfare, efficacy of control and genetics.
Some of the more interesting conclusions from this important ‘round up’ of wild deer research include:
- That, whilst wild deer are theoretical reservoirs for a wide range of pathogens (as most wildlife is), the regular refrain of the less credible activists in the conversations about wild deer ring hollow. “Fortunately, there is no recent evidence of high profile zoonotic and/or agriculturally important diseases such as bovine tuberculosis and foot and mouth disease.”
- Aerial culling programs suffer from a lack of clear objectives and of transparency and oversight by the Government’s that fund them. “Helicopter-based shooting can quickly reduce fallow and chital deer populations over large geographic areas, but the magnitude of the reduction depends on the deer density and the effort (hours of shooting) per deer per unit area. The outcomes of helicopter-based shooting of deer can be improved by conducting a pre-control survey of density, because this enables effort and costs to be predicted for a desired population reduction (e.g., 75%), and the actual reduction achieved to be estimated.”
- Non-toxic bullets have similar animal welfare outcomes to lead bullets in the studied scenarios. SSAA Victoria is currently undertaking research into the efficacy and accuracy of non-toxic bullets, as wide variances in accuracy looms as a challenge to a more widespread uptake of alternatives to lead.
- Contract shooters, whilst more efficient (owing somewhat to operational differences and the availability of sound moderators and semi-automatic firearms) are marginally more expensive as a control option than the targeted use of volunteer recreational hunters.
- Hound hunting of sambar deer may be a useful wildlife management tool.
SSAA Victoria actively advocates for more access for recreational deer hunters in Victoria to grow the ‘triple-bottom-line’ benefits that wild deer hunting brings to the community.
