Disturbing pictures reveal that a destructive invasive species that has spread across Victoria has now breached the state’s northern border.
Evidence collected on a motion-activated camera has confirmed that hog deer have spread to the NSW Southern Tablelands.
The 60 to 70cm-high species is native to India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, but despite its small size, the creature is known to destroy Australia’s fragile landscape wherever it spreads.
Because the detections have been inland and far from other known populations, Invasive Species Council CEO Jack Gough suspects a rogue group of hunters intentionally transported the animals.
“I’m disgusted,” he told Yahoo News.
“A selfish group of people have decided that their personal sport is more important than our farmers, waterways, and our wildlife.”
The species was first detected using the FeralScan app, which allows users to report sightings of invasive species. It was then reported to the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPIRD) and Local Land Services, according to The Land.
Feral deer cost the Australian economy over $91 million a year, and NSW authorities are taking the arrival of hog deer seriously, with a plan to eradicate the population.
While there are populations of other feral deer species established in NSW, Gough said the arrival of hog deer is a significant concern.
“It’s like having feral cats, and then bringing in tigers or Bengal cats,” he said.
Rogue hunters believed to be spreading feral animals
The NSW discovery follows a detection of the species for the first time in Coldstream, in Victoria’s internationally renowned Yarra Valley wine region.
A motion-activated camera confirmed hog deer have breached the NSW border. Source: NSW DPIRD
Gough is increasingly concerned that there is a “culture” among a niche group of shooters who distribute invasive game species into new regions.
Adding weight to this theory is a separate incident in 2025, where farmland was damaged by feral pigs on the South Australian Limestone Coast.
That region is protected from natural invasion by the Murray River and the Coorong, and local authorities believe the arrival of the pigs was deliberate.
Victoria helping invasive hog deer populations thrive
In Victoria, the hog deer is controversially protected by the state as a “valued game species”.
There is a strict hunting limit, with licensed deer shooters only permitted to harvest one male and one female each season, and carcasses must be tagged and taken to a Game Management Victoria checking station within 24 hours.
Despite the hog deer’s small size, the Victorian National Parks Association’s Jordan Crook compares its impact on the bush to a “little bulldozer”.
He discovered the species had spread to Coldstream on November 15.
“I thought, What the hell, is that? That’s a hog deer,” he recalled.
“Historically, they’ve really stuck along the coast, but now that we’re finding them in places like the Yarra Valley, it’s probably because they’ve been moved by shooters.
Crook shares Gough’s concerns about rogue hunters spreading invasive species.
He sent the Department of Environment (DEECA) a report on the Coldstream sighting in December, calling for eradication and monitoring program across the region. He is unsure what action has been taken.
Yahoo News has contacted DEECA for comment.
Crook believes the spread of deer in Victoria should act as a warning to NSW that the species urgently needs to be eradicated.
“They like wet, damp, swampy areas which are very easily damaged by hard-hooved animals like hog deer,” he said.
“But they seem to be spreading across the whole state now, which is of huge concern.”
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.