Deer 'can Be Killers'

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday August 11, 2007

By MICHELLE HOCTOR

THE region's feral deer problem presented greater, more serious issues than the destruction of people's gardens, according to a Mt Keira landowner.

Phil Buckland said that aside from destruction to the environment, he was surprised someone had not already been impaled and killed by a stag.

"People need to stop looking at them from an emotion perspective - they are not Bambi from a Disney story."

The 64-year-old has lived on the escarpment for 25 years and said the deer population had expanded to the point where the land could no longer support them.

The position of his home at the start of a bush trail meant several herds - as much as 45 deer - passed through his yard each night to venture into suburbia.

As a result, government-sanctioned culling expeditions had been launched from his backyard for the past 18 months.

Mr Buckland said the problems began following the 2001 bushfires at Helensburgh when the deer were forced south to find food.

Mr Buckland, who is also chairman of the Guardian Air Rescue Foundation, said the stags in rutting season were especially dangerous.

"It amazes me that someone hasn't been killed. This time of year the stags are fighting each other ... they are exactly the same as any other wild male animal when they are fighting for leadership of the herd."

Mr Buckland believed education was needed. "You can't help but be moved by the beauty of these animals but they are feral, just like wild pigs, goats, dogs and foxes -all of which pose some type of danger to our environment."

© 2007 Illawarra Mercury

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