DEER culling will begin this month in Kinglake National Park, near Toorourrong Reservoir.
Parks Victoria will remove up to 400 Sambar and Red Deer, with the culling program expected to take a year, in an effort to preserve the Brush-Tailed Phascogale, Powerful Owl and Superb Lyrebird.
“Victoria’s parks are home to more than 4300 native plants and 948 native animal species. Parks Victoria plays a vital role in protecting native plants and wildlife,” ranger team leader Trevor Graham said.
“Deer are introduced species that are rapidly expanding throughout Victoria. While they are managed for hunting purposes, Parks Victoria has an obligation to reduce numbers in areas where they cause environmental damage.”
Parks Victoria is using contract marksmen as well as skilled, accredited and authorised volunteer members of Australian Deer Association to undertake the operation.
“Parks Victoria is pleased to have the support of dedicated volunteers who commit their time to helping us preserve the environment,” Mr Graham said.
The culling program will be carried out under strict conditions designed to ensure safe, effective and humane practices at all times.
Spotlight shooting at night and stalking during daylight will be the main control techniques.
Signs will be in place at management entry points and staff will patrol the park while the program is underway. There will be no operations on weekends, public holidays or during school holiday periods.
If they opened up most forests to hunters we would not have a problem. As it is now we are severely limited yet they cull them,… what a shame. I harvest everything I shoot and am so sad when I hear the utter waste.
Sambar deer and to a lesser degree Falliw and Red deer are becoming a real problem but I don’t like the idea of killing them and leaving the carcasses to rot in the bush what a waste of beautiful organic meat .Oh and to whoever wrote this article check your deer species before you add photos we don’t have Whitetail deer in Australia
How about a cull up near Don valley the deer are every where and the I won’t get people shooting near house’s like we do now
I have property at marysville and the deer do so much damage to all plants culling should happen here also plus the kangaroos
Elaine
Kangaroos DO NOT NEED TO BE MURDERED! HUMANS NEED TO LIVE WITH THEM. THEY HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 16 MILLION YEARS AND HAVE HAS TO SURVIVE OUR EXPANSION, HABITAT LOSS, fires, droughts, hunting and being hit by cars! LEAVE THE POOR KANGAROOS ALONE! THEY BELONG HERE!!!