Regional residents are crying out for help to manage one of Australia’s most destructive invasive species, which continues to wreak havoc on fragile ecosystems. They warn that deer are becoming “a lot more comfortable being around people”, invading territories traditionally beyond their range.
A wide range of deer species were introduced to Australia during the nineteenth century from Europe for hunting and assimilation purposes, but since then, their numbers have absolutely exploded.
Now they infest large parts of the continent. Because of their size and rapidly growing populations, deer cause widespread and severe damage to ecosystems.
There are estimated to be millions of them now living across the country.
Rachel Clarke from the tiny town of Burra in New South Wales said the deer population in the area had skyrocketed in recent years.
She managed to fill an entire freezer’s worth of deer meat in just a single morning.
“I’ll see them in a neighbour’s paddock or in our paddock, a herd of six or seven of them, and they look like they’re somebody’s livestock,” Rachel told The Land.
“They seem to be getting a lot more comfortable being around people, and certainly we see them in this more open country more and more.”
After two consecutive years of ideal breeding conditions, supported by abundant feed on the ground, the small herd on the hillside expanded rapidly.
What had once seemed manageable soon escalated into a widespread pest problem across the region, undermining conservation efforts and wreaking havoc on both native vegetation and carefully planned gardens.
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Deer are seen not only in rural areas but in cities too. Source: humansofeastwooddaily/Instagram
Alongside the growing presence of fallow deer (Dama dama), Rachel said additional species had begun appearing in the area, including the much larger Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), which can weigh more than 500 kilograms.
She said the prospect of these animals moving into the region was deeply worrying, likening a collision with one to hitting a horse.
Rachel also pointed to a noticeable increase in roadkill along the Monaro Highway, saying she had seen far more deer carcasses than would normally be expected.
She added that deer were now regularly visible grazing beside the road, even during daylight hours.
A map of deer spread across Australia Source: Invasive Species Council
Adaptable deer found in both cities and regions
Rachel’s case illustrates how widespread deer are in the regions, but they’re also making their way closer to urban areas, too.
A feral deer was spotted on Sydney’s Upper North Shore in September, raising further concerns over the destructive impact of the invasive species.
The animal was photographed on Kissing Point Road in Turramurra, about 20 kilometres northwest of North Sydney.
NSW Fishers and Shooters Party chairman Robert Borsak posted on social media about the encounter, saying it was the second in a week, with another sighting taking place at Asquith.
“I bet there are many, many more,” he said at the time.
“The habitat is perfect for these highly adaptive deer. We have no mechanisms for control of these animals, they will proliferate and cause significant damage to the habitat and the community.”
Australia’s ongoing problem with feral deer
Deer sightings in urban areas continue to emerge around the country as invasive species experts warn their spread is “becoming a huge problem”.
Back in July, dash cam footage captured the shocking moment two drivers almost collided with a deer darting across a road in Canberra.
The video, filmed “in the middle” of the road, shows the large animal suddenly appearing on a grass median strip. It bolted across two lanes of traffic, just metres in front of startled motorists.
They wreak havoc on fragile landscapes, and cause problems for the agriculture sector too by destroying fencing and crops. Source: Victorian Government
Merely days later, another sighting took place in Eastwood, in Sydney’s northwest, along a set of train tracks.
CEO of the Invasive Species Council, Jack Gough, spoke to Yahoo about the worsening issue, saying it’s “unusual” to see deer “that deep into suburbia”, but it’s now becoming increasingly common.
“It’s a problem in Melbourne and a growing issue in the Gold Coast and Canberra,” Jack said.
“Adelaide is trying to remove them from the hills before they get out of control there.”
Jack pointed out that in NSW, according to the Greater Sydney Regional Pest Strategic Animal Management Plan, deer are “moderately distributed” across the city, meaning there may be a chance to contain the spread if swift action is taken.
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