Fawns captured in Dublin’s Phoenix Park for tagging

In Dublin's Phoenix Park, students and staff have been catching dozens of fawns in an annual effort to tag the deer population.

About 100 fawns are expected to be born this summer, adding to an overall herd of about 500.

In a somewhat challenging bid to keep tabs, the Office of Public Works, together with students from University College Dublin (UCD) have been patrolling the grounds, armed with nets and tags.

Fawns arrive during the fine weather and the park's herd is one of the healthiest and most studied in Europe, according to Professor Tom Hayden and Dr Favel Naulty of UCD.

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Terry Moore, OPW deer keeper, with the help of 10 students from the university's mammal research unit, spends about four weeks in June of each year combing the park for the animals.

“The reason that the OPW tag the fawns is for identification and research purposes so as they can map the particular deer throughout its lifetime,” the OPW said.

“This practice has been in place for the last 25 years, where each fawn receives an individual number, which is colour coded for each year.”

Members of the public are urged not to make contact with any fawns they may come across as the mother may reject it if there is a human scent.

“For their own safety, the public are also advised not to feed the deer, to keep a distance from the herd and always keep dogs on leashes in sign-posted areas,” it said.