Deer culling operation in Eastbourne to protect bush and gardens

Friday, 20 October 2017

Red deer have become the targets of a culling operation in the hills behind Eastbourne.

It is not a good time to be a deer in Eastbourne.

The Lower Hutt suburb has a resident population of deer who help themselves to local gardens and native plants.

Cullers have been called in to deal to the deer who like to hang around residential homes.

The cull is being is being organised by the Greater Wellington Regional Council.

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The culling will centre around the northern and western parts of the Northern Forest in East Harbour Regional Park with activity to take place near residential areas.

Council spokesman Stephen Heath said professional hunters had been contracted to carry out the cull and had been directed to shoot all wild deer if safe to do so.

Warning signs had been placed at park entrances to warn the public of the operation which will continue until October 31.

Eastbourne resident Paul Gandar, who lives above Lowry Bay, said the deer had become a real problem in recent years and had left a few of his garden plants in a very sorry state.

His garden had been browsed by deer at least three times over winter and their hooves had damaged his lawn. A number of neighbours had had similar problems, he said.

The deer not only ate garden plants, but also damaged the native bush and tracks around residential areas.

Gandar knew the council had been carrying out culling operations over the past few years but did not think they had made much of an impact with visits to his garden increasing.

'Eight or nine years ago I was unaware of the presence of deer here, now it's a fairly regular occurrence.

'I know the council and cullers are doing their best. There's no easy solution'

Hunter Craig Cottrell said he thought the population of red deer behind Eastbourne had decreased as a result of culling operations.

Work by the regional council had thinned out numbers in the park and deer left around the built up areas were the hardest to get because of the risk to public safety.

Although he had never hunted in that area, he had seen deer in the park and had seen the damage they could cause.

'It's important to keep the numbers under control by culling or hunting because of the ecological damage they cause. They have no natural predators [in New Zealand].'

Hunting near built up areas was always risky but he was confident council cullers would follow all necessary precautions to keep the public safe.ensure the safety of the public.