Wild deer populations, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, are becoming a significant issue for landowners, farmers, and environmental organizations struggling to find ways to manage their impact.
Victoria is the state with the largest population of wild deer in Australia. However, landowners and environmental groups are urging the state government to lift protections for wild deer due to the soaring numbers, which are causing damage to agriculture and the local environment, reported the Guardian on September 19.
Wild deer in Grampians National Park. (Photo: Bjorn Svensson).
Jordan Crook, an officer at the Victorian National Parks Association, believes that classifying deer as pests alongside foxes, rabbits, and pigs would align Victoria with other regions in Australia. “Wild deer are spreading rapidly across the state, destroying critical habitats for endangered species like rainforests and alpine wetlands, while also severely impacting agricultural production and posing a threat on the roads. It is time to treat wild deer as an invasive species, invest in effective scientific control measures, and eradicate the population where possible,” Crook stated.
Currently, deer are protected along with other native species under the Wildlife Act, making it challenging for those who want to control their numbers. In a letter to agricultural and environmental authorities, over 100 landowners, environmental organizations, and leading research institutes called for a reclassification of deer from a protected species to a pest. This would provide clarity for managing their impacts.
Dr. Alex Maisey, an ecologist at La Trobe University, stated that wild deer are destroying temperate rainforests such as the Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenong Ranges. Deer have decimated over 90% of the golden wattle trees in some areas of Sherbrooke Forest by stripping bark and spreading root rot fungi. The damage to the canopy is causing many damp and shaded areas to become dry.
The wild deer population in Victoria is one of the largest in Australia, according to the Invasive Species Council, with estimates ranging from hundreds of thousands to over a million individuals. In contrast, hunters have culled about 137,090 deer in 2023. Tom Guthrie, a sheep farmer in the Grampians region of Victoria, believes that the deer population has spiraled out of control. Deer cause considerable damage to farmers, easily jumping over fences, grazing on rare plants, damaging vineyards, and consuming high-quality grapes.
However, the Australian Deer Association opposes the reclassification of deer from wildlife to pests. A spokesperson for Victoria’s environmental agency stated that a statewide deer management plan is underway and that the current classification does not hinder efforts to control them.
