By JESSE GRAHAM
HUNDREDS of deer are expected to be culled in areas around Gruyere and Yellingbo over the next year, in a move to protect critically endangered species and native vegetation.
Parks Victoria announced on Wednesday 5 March that it had given approval for a deer control program to take place over the next 12 months.
The control program will be taking place in Warramate Hills Nature Conservation Reserve, Yellingo Nature Conservation Reserve and the Dandenong Ranges National Park, attempting to cut down numbers of Sambar and Fallow deer species.
The program has called for 130 deer to be culled from Yellingbo (100 Fallow, 30 Sambar), with 20 (10 Fallow, 10 Sambar) to be culled from Warramate Hills and 70 from the Dandenong Ranges National Park (30 Fallow, 40 Sambar).
The two deer species, according to Parks Victoria District Manager Craig Bray, are introduced species and are causing damage to native vegetation and habitats for endangered species.
Mr Bray said presence off deer in the areas is causing negative impacts on the Lowland Leadbeater’s Possum and the Helmeted Honeyeater, whose habitat is damaged when deer thrash their antlers on trees.
“This program will seek to restore these parks and reduce the damage deer are causing,” he said.
Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater and Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum have both spoken in support of the culling program, citing revegetation and protection of habitat for the respective endangered animals.
Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater President Robert Anderson said the group had been advocating for deer control in recent years, and that deer-related vegetation destruction has held back recovery of the bird species.
“Loss of habitat and destruction of revegetated areas have held back the recovery program of the Helmeted Honeyeater,” Mr Anderson said.
“A program that controls deer initially and continues to decrease deer numbers is most welcome.”
Shooters from the Australian Deer Association and the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australian will be volunteering in the program, with 54 hunters taking part in the cull – Parks Victoria said only one shooter will be active on site at any one time.
The shooters are all accredited and trained marksmen and Parks Victoria have imposed strict conditions for public safety and preventing unnecessary suffering for the deer being shot.
One of the conditions is that, if a deer is wounded, shooters must track and kill it before continuing to hunt other animals – the shooters have also been trained to identify target species from other animals.
The parks that shooting will take place in will be closed to the public when the program is carried out, with signs displayed at all formal entry points, though shooting will not take place on weekends, public holidays or school holidays.
A Parks Victoria spokesperson said residents in the surrounding areas will be notified on days of shooting and that strict protocols will help to reduce any risk to residential properties.
The spokesperson said that hunters will not pursue animals that leave the designated shooting areas and travel into residential properties.
Shooting will take place at day and night, and the program will be assessed after the 12-month period to see if it will continue after then.
Sambar and Fallow deer species are hard-hooved introduced species, and cause degradation of native and fragile vegetation, disturb and erode soil and compete for food with native wildlife.
For more information, and updates on park closures, visit www.parks.vic.gov.au or call 13 19 63.
