Feral Deer Forum
Thank you to everyone who attended and took part in this important community discussion on the growing impacts of deer across Gippsland.
Great Information and what we can do on ISC website:
https://invasives.org.au/our-work/feral-animals/feral-deer/
SEE BELOW FOR MORE:
Deer numbers have increased exponentially, particularly over the past 20 years, and the impacts are now being felt by communities throughout the region.
The agricultural costs are expected to reach billions of dollars in the coming years. Environmental impacts are equally alarming, with wetlands and rainforests deteriorating rapidly as whole generations of native rainforest plants are browsed before they can regenerate.
Driving at night has also become increasingly dangerous in many areas due to the growing number of deer on our roads. As collisions increase, insurance and community costs are also likely to rise.
Victoria remains the only Australian state to classify deer as a recreational game species rather than a feral pest, a position many believe is no longer aligned with the scale of the problem facing regional communities.
A huge thank you to the Invasive Species Council for coordinating such a broad coalition of organisations to advocate for practical solutions, and to John Kelly for presenting the issue so clearly. Thanks also to everyone who contributed their knowledge and experiences—it was a respectful, informative and valuable discussion.
Together, informed communities can help drive meaningful change.
The legal status of deer in Victoria is curious.
Protected wildlife: Chital, fallow, hog, red, rusa, sambar, sika, sika-red hybrids and Wapiti are listed as Protected Wildlife under the Wildlife Act 1975 and it is an offence to hunt, take, or destroy these deer species unless authorised.
Game Species: Chital, fallow, hog, red, rusa and sambar deer are also Game Species under the Wildlife Act 1975 and can be hunted by licensed game hunters under conditions.
Threatening process: Sambar deer are listed as a potentially threatening process under Victoria’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 because they pose a significant threat to the survival and evolutionary development of numerous plant taxa and ecological communities.
Exotic fauna: The National Parks Act 1975 requires the extermination or control of exotic fauna (including deer) in national and state parks, wilderness parks and other reserves.
Why aren’t deer declared pest species?
In 2020 the Victorian Deer Control Strategy was released after several years in development. During that process, there was significant pressure exerted by the community to change the legal status of deer from “protected wildlife” to that of a “pest animal”, to appropriately recognise the population explosion and serious impacts across Victoria.
While the final plan was an improvement to some extent on the hunting-orientated first draft, the Victorian Government chose to retain the protected status of deer. This is an indication of the influence the deer hunting lobby and Game Management Authority have on deer policy in Victoria.
The perplexing legal status of deer in Victoria makes it all the more difficult for the community to appreciate the serious impact of deer and to have in place effective deer eradication and control programs.
The Victorian Deer Control Strategy can be found on the Victorian Government website.
For more information about Landcare projects or how to get involved, visit fevl.org.au or contact Josh Puglisi, Facilitator, at facilitator@fevl.org.au.