Sir, –
I very much enjoyed Elizabeth Birdthistle’s article on sika deer stalking in Co Kerry (Go magazine, October 22nd). It is refreshing to see this wonderful sport reflected in a positive light in the national press, and there is a great need for the general public to be well-informed about the possibilities of venison as an alternative to other red meats on the table, as well as the economic benefits of deer stalking by both tourists and Irish hunters.
More importantly, however, is the urgent need for the public to understand the difficulties of controlling our national deer population. None of the stalkers Ms Birdthistle met that morning had succeeded in harvesting a deer. The scene described might create the impression that these deer are only found on remote hillsides that require a strenuous hike to reach. Unfortunately, this is far from the case.
A draft deer management policy vision released for public consultation recently by the Inter-agency Deer Policy Group, comprising deer experts from the NPWS, DAFF and Coillte Teo, estimates the population of the four deer species in the country at close to 300,000. I also have it on good authority that a sika deer stag was recently seeking a harem in Glenageary, well inside the M50, making control extremely challenging.
Deer are, indeed, elusive, but the problems they can create are more obvious – destroyed crops, damaged trees, and road traffic accidents. I hope that Ms Birdthistle’s article will serve to bring deer to the public consciousness and inspire people to seek out deer (they are hard to spot, but worth the effort) and to engage as active stakeholders in the debate that our society will need to have about urgent changes to our current, failing, management policies and practices. Deer are wonderful animals, in every aspect, and they deserve our attention. – Yours, etc,