Should there be a deer cull to protect woodlands and other animals?
Poll: Do you think there should be a mass cull of deer?
by Matt Stott
Thursday, March 7, 2013
1:16 PM
Experts are urging all-out war on deer, which could see close to a million animals being shot each year in the UK.
Culling on a massive scale is necessary just to keep the exploding deer population at its current level, they say.
The call to arms was made after new research showed that only by killing 50-60% of deer can their numbers be kept under reasonable control.
This is slaughter on a far greater scale than the 20-30% culling rates recommended before.
With total deer numbers estimated at about 1.5 million, it could result in more than 750,000 animals being shot every year.
Deer are said to be having a devastating effect on woodland, damaging crops, causing road accidents and threatening a danger to public safety in urban areas.
Dr Paul Dolman, from the University of East Anglia (UEA), said shooting by trained and licensed hunters was the only practical way to keep their population in check.
What do you think? Should there be a mass cull of deer? Let us know by voting and commenting below.
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11 comments
CLA not CLO as printed.
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JOHN BURLS
Friday, March 8, 2013
Yes humans are the biggest pest, I fully endorse this view and have said it myself many times. It is sad to think of culling any animal; but in the end the deer would suffer at the rate they are growing anyway. There is no natural predator (I guess we are responsible for that) so they really can't be allowed to just grow and grow like they have been. It is in both our interests that there is a cull. I think human numbers need to come down too or at least stop growing so fast by the way but there isn't much to be done about that!
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K Mcc
Friday, March 8, 2013
A cull of humans? Its not the first time I've seen such a response when an animal cull is mentioned. Would Mr Smith and Ms Summerfield explain how such a cull would work? They like every other person in this country have probably contributed to the destruction and damage of woodlands and habitats they mention and not just in this country but across the world. They use the roads that scar the landscape. They burn the fossil fuels that supposedly warm our planet. They more than likely consume the vegetable oil that has destroyed the Indonesian rain forest. Potentially they eat the fish from depleted oceans. Would that make them a prime cull candidates? or would they volunteer themselves? Stop trying to take a moral high ground with your comments because I very much doubt that either of you would be prepared to give up the lives you live and the houses you live in for the benefit of animals and habitats.
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charlie_itfc
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Sounds good to me. Venison is a tasty alternative to the more common place beefhorse mix and is currently grossly overpriced. A cull should see price of venison come down to popular affordable levels. Bring it on! In fact where can one legally sign up to this and reap the rewards instantly?
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Steve Blake
Thursday, March 7, 2013
On the contrary, there should be a cull of humans. Only one species is responsible for the loss of our countryside and the destruction of natural habitats and that is man. We infest this planet and breed out of control. While we breed with no predators the destruction of England is on our hands, not the deer.
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Jane Summerfield
Thursday, March 7, 2013
John Smith has said exactly what I was going to say. Man has destroyed and polluted more than any Bambi..
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C Smith
Thursday, March 7, 2013
There should be a 60-70% cull of scientists so then we would have less of the wild theories they come out with every so often.
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Ken Kernow
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Cant they castrate the Stags, cut down on the breeding, then the numbers will slowly dwindle.
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Ganges
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Well said, John Smith! And please leave the dear little deer alone... :-(
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Fi, Stowmarket
Thursday, March 7, 2013
There should be a 70-80% cull on humans as they are destructing far more woodland and other habitats damaging food supplys for multiple species, causing road accidents and being an incredibly much larger threatening danger to public safety in urban areas.
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John Smith
Thursday, March 7, 2013
The CLO members will be voting FOR en masse no doubt. Nothing they like more than a mass killing of innocent animals.
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JOHN BURLS
Thursday, March 7, 2013