- guardian.co.uk, Wednesday August 30 2006 09.16 BST
- The Guardian, Wednesday August 30 2006
Deer hunters are to be given greater licence to kill Britain's largest native land animals, which may be at their most populous since before the Norman conquest.
Changes in climate, habitat and agriculture have sent populations soaring, posing problems to other wildlife and causing about 15 deaths and 300 injuries to people each year in road accidents.
There are thought to be more than 300,000 deer in England alone. Roe deer, once on the brink of extinction, and red deer are native but sika, fallow, muntjac and Chinese water deer have all extended their range after being introduced or escaping from private land and deer parks.
The government is concerned deer are damaging woodland, crops, sites of scientific interest and gardens. It is proposing changes to the hunting laws - which currently forbid shooting during the close season - to allow culls to protect the countryside and people. That would bring England and Wales into line with Scotland. Stalkers with special licences would be allowed to shoot deer at night and use smaller calibre rifles for some species. Hunting with dogs would remain banned.
Barry Gardiner, the biodiversity minister, has launched a consultation document that also shortens the close seasons for some species. "Wild deer populations are damaging some of our most threatened woodland habitats and causing millions of pounds of damage to agriculture," he said. "In addition, they are presenting an increasing hazard on our roads."
The British Deer Society acknowledged the need to manage populations but said it was concerned about the use of smaller calibre rifles and safety at night.
