‘Deer cull should continue’, says SWT
The SWT have claimed that culling starving animals which are battling to survive through harsh winter conditions, would prevent inhumane suffering as well as helping to halt further damage to Scotland’s environment.
Simon Milne, SWT’s Chief Executive, explained: “We are a wildlife protection charity calling for more deer to be culled. I understand that this might surprise some people, but our reasoning is sound. Red deer numbers have been steadily increasing in recent decades to the point where, in some areas, they are causing damage to the natural environment. The most obvious impact is on young trees that have little chance of growing into the forests of future when large numbers of deer are browsing for food.
“As the harsh winter weather continues, some wildlife species are struggling to cope. Red deer are facing a double whammy – they were already stressed because too many animals were competing for limited food resources and now they are being subjected to a long and cold winter. Our deer are ill-equipped to deal with prolonged winters because, by and large, they are living in conditions that do not suit them. Red deer are really a woodland species and the now treeless environment of many parts of Scotland simply does not satisfy their basic need for shelter, particularly in bad weather. Too many deer and not enough food is resulting in starvation.
“There is no quick fix to this problem, in fact it will take decades to achieve a balanced deer population. Deer numbers must be reduced in many areas to a sustainable level which is a difficult, time consuming and expensive business. The regeneration of our native highland woodland is a priority and requires a massive, sustained and long term effort to achieve; then we might start to see red deer living as they are meant to, as healthy forest animals. The SWT hopes these are problems which will be addressed in the forthcoming Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill.”
Deer populations in Scotland have reached an unsustainably high level due to the absence of any natural predators. Scotland is home to two native deer species, the red deer and the roe deer. Together it is thought there are over 350,000 deer inhabiting Scotland today, around twice the population of half a century ago.
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