Deer Pest Control
There are 2 million Red, Roe, Fallow, Sika, Muntjac and Chinese Water deer in our countryside and urban areas.
Of these only the Red and the Roe deer are actually native to the UK.
The Fallow deer were first introduced by the Romans during the 1st century AD, while the Sika, Muntjac and Chinese Water deer were introduced, mainly by escapes from country house collections, in the 19th century.
Deer are known to cause considerable damage to plantations and woodlands. This has been calculated to a whopping cost of 4.5 million pounds.
Research has also shown that 8,000 hectares of woodland are currently recovering from damage caused by deer. Per year, there is also 4.3 million pounds worth of damage caused to farmers' crops.
Research by the University of East Anglia has found that, where deer are present in woodland, there is a corresponding 50% decline in woodland bird numbers.
Deer are also responsible for an astounding 7,400 road traffic accidents per year causing untold damage to vehicles and people.
For farmers, and those with woodland areas, there are simple solutions that an experienced wildlife management professional can use to humanely eradicate the deer.
Muntjac
The small, Chinese Muntjac deer were originally introduced to Woburn Park in Bedfordshire early in the last century and rapidly spread into the surrounding area. It is now a common animal across South East England and can be found in woodland, parkland and even gardens. Muntjac deer are notorious browsers, eating the shoots from shrubs, as well as woodland herbs and Brambles, causing severe damage on farmland and in gardens. Male Muntjacs have short, unbranched antlers that slope backwards, and a pair of long canine teeth. They breed all year-round, but females usually only have one kid at a time. Muntjac deer are also known as 'barking deer' because of their dog-like calls. With no natural predators in the UK, they have quickly established themselves as the United Kingdoms most invasive species. It is an offence to release them into the wild.
How to identify
A very small, stocky deer, the Muntjac deer is about the same size as a medium dog. It is gingery-brown, with a pale underside, darker stripes in its face, and small, single-pointed antlers.
