Escarpment deer to be treated the same as other feral animals

THE NSW Government is reportedly planning to ease restrictions around shooting feral deer.

Primary Industries Minister Adam Marshall said he was looking at classifying the deer in the same way as other feral animals due to “exploding” populations.

The news follows a number of feral deer wandering on North Beach last week.

The North Wollongong beach trip ended in tragedy for at least one of the feral deer, which was shot after climbing the embankment to the Continental Pool.

State MP for Keira, Ryan Park has called on the government to tackle the growing wild deer population in the Illawarra.

“Feral deer create havoc in the Illawarra,” Mr Park said.

“They damage property and the natural environment, cause collisions on the road and on train lines. It is only a matter of time before there is a serious collision on our roads.”

A 2017 report by the Natural Resources Commission showed that without a change in regulation, feral deer could run wild across the entire state.

Earlier this year, the State Government announced a $9 million deer control program.

According to Mr Park, deer populations were allowed to grow while culling programs were suspended by the Berejiklian Government from December 2017 to June 2018. Mr Park says the problem is out of control and the meagre assistance provided by the Illawarra Wild Deer Management Program is no longer sufficient.

Mr Park is pushing for increased funding to address rampant wild deer population.