Last year, this was posted (thanks to Rosemary Blemings).
Robin Hide
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ACT Deer dot points
· Deer sightings in the ACT have been steadily increasing over the last ten years.
· Of the six species of feral deer in Australia, three are known to occur in the ACT. These
are the Fallow, Red and Sambar Deer.
· As feral deer numbers increase they can have serious impacts on both reserve and rural
land.
· Feral deer should be regarded as a potentially serious pest, and as their numbers increase
impacts will be similar to those occurring in areas of NSW and Victoria: competition with livestock for pasture and water, damage to fences, tree plantations and crops, grazing/browsing of threatened plant species, tracking and wallowing leading to erosion,
and increased incidence of potentially serious motor vehicle collisions.
· Deer are known to transmit a number of diseases important to the viability of the export
and domestic trade including Ovine and Bovine Johnes Disease, along with zoonotic infections such as tuberculosis and Q-fever which can infect humans.
· Feral deer are a declared pest animal in ACT under the Pest
Plants and Animals Act 2005 in recognition of their potential negative impacts.
· Management of deer poses a challenge for public land managers due to their cryptic and
wary behaviour. Ground shooting is a time consuming and therefore costly exercise, but is currently the most effective technique available for reducing deer populations.
· ACT land holders holding the appropriate firearms licences are encouraged to cull any
deer observed on their properties. A minimum calibre of .243 for small deer (Fallow Deer) and of .270 for large deer (Sambar & Red Deer) must be used when shooting these animals.
· ACT Parks and Conservation Service maintain a deer sightings register in order to help
build knowledge of these species and formulate management programs. All reports of deer are welcomed (contact the Vertebrate Pests Coordinator on 62072135) and will be treated confidentially to minimise the likelihood of attracting illegal hunters to leased
or public land.
· In the absence of actual sightings, one of the most obvious signs of deer presence is
damage to saplings and small trees where males rub their antlers to remove velvet, and display during rutting in Autumn.
Jenny Conolly
Rural Extension Officer
Stromlo Depot
500 Cotter Road, Weston
Ph: 62075176
Fax: 62072544
From: Steve Holliday
Sent: Monday, 7 October 2013 7:47 AM
To: 'Canberra Birds'
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Kama NR and Jameson - deer
Hi John
I saw a few Fallow Deer in the Molonglo Valley while doing bird surveys for ANU a few years ago. There were also a lot of Euros and goats.
Cheers
Steve
From: John Leonard
Sent: Sunday, 6 October 2013 1:54 PM
To: Canberra Birds
Subject: [canberrabirds] Kama NR and Jameson
Very windy at Kama and difficult to see anything much, however, there was one WW Triller male and one male Rufous Songlark, and Tree Martins and Brown-headed Honeyeaters.
Also seen in one of the paddocks down near the Molonglo, two female deer. What species of deer are feral in the ACT?
At Jameson Centre one Superb Parrot feeding in the elms.
--
John Leonard
