Feral deer are out of control in NSW, and have been declared the state’s ‘most important emerging pest animal threat’.
For years their numbers have been allowed to grow, and now we’re suffering the consequences – they are a major environmental threat to Australia’s oldest national park, the Royal, and are becoming a menace on our roads – in the Illawarra region feral deer have caused nine fatalities in a seven year period and 100 collisions with trains.
In March 2016 an independent review by the Natural Resources Commission recommended NSW make deer a pest species. Currently they are protected as a game species, and managed as a hunting resource.
Making feral deer a pest species would give land managers and governments the power to tackle this growing environmental and agricultural threat head on, rather than being constrained by current laws that protect feral deer.
Community feedback
The Natural Resources Commission invited public submissions and held a series of public meetings across NSW to provide community and stakeholders further opportunity to comment on the draft report and draft recommendations.
Feedback received on the draft report through submissions, public meetings and targeted consultation will help the Commission in developing a final report, expected to be delivered to the Premier by 7 July 2016.
You can download the draft report from the commission’s website.
This is a once-in-a-generation chance to tackle the growing feral deer threat in NSW.