Spiralling deer population 'devastating' UK nature - prompting calls to reintroduce wolves and lynx
Spiralling deer population 'devastating' UK nature - prompting calls to reintroduce wolves and lynx
New footage reveals the growing scale of the country's deer population - and while the animals generally enjoy a positive image, experts say their rapidly growing numbers pose significant ecological dangers for the UK.
A seemingly never-ending stream of deer bound across a main road, bringing traffic to a standstill. Two stags trot down a hospital corridor. A deer herd invades a surburban garden.
There's a new brand of wildlife video doing the rounds on social media - and the generally positive image enjoyed by the animals means the scenes may delight onlookers.
But many experts say the largely uncontrolled growth of Britain's deer population creates significant ecological dangers.
Spiralling almost always implies downward.
How about growing?Am I being stupid but would this not be a good reason to eat more of them? Be the wolves and Lynxes you want to see in the world.
Maybe. But location and population density. Means hunting with guns off privrate land. Is a little impractical in the UK. Wolves and lynx tend to be a safer option in many locations.
If they can cull deer in Richmond park I think it can be done safely in most places. If the population is that rampant then the introduction of wolves and lynx would end up causing a spike in predator populations in short order that may force them to find food closer to humans as well, which would then lead to the need to cull the predator species. I'd expect that a cull would be required if predators are introduced to start everything off in a balanced state.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Defra is among the organisations highlighting problems caused by "excessive" deer grazing, including damage to crops, woodland, trees managed for timber and our natural biodiversity.
When large numbers of deer graze in woodland, it reduces plant and animal diversity - in turn affecting soil and releasing carbon, according to the Forestry Commission.
Common species including robin, wren and blackbird are less likely to be in woodland areas where there are deer, research by the British Trust for Ornithology shows, and vulnerable breeds such as nightingale, nightjar and woodcock are negatively impacted.
"When they're basically giving over more time to be vigilant, keeping an eye out for who might be creeping up on them, they're not foraging as effectively, which means they don't put on as much weight, they're not in such good breeding conditions, so that can reduce the birth rate."
It is difficult to predict how successful reintroducing predators would be as a measure of controlling the deer population, and there might be periods of time where it has a bigger or smaller impact, Dr Sandom says.
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