The growing deer population
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that between 10 and 20 people are killed and over 700 he combined population of deer in Britain today injured every year as a result of accidents involving deer, is estimated to be over two million. Of the six either through direct collisions or swerving to avoid species present, only two are native to Britain, red them. The cost of damage to vehicles alone is estimated deer and roe deer. Fallow deer were introduced by the to be at least £17-million. There is a peak in accidents Normans, and sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer during May, when young roe bucks are dispersing, were all introduced or escaped in the last century. There and also from October to January associated with the is also a small herd of reindeer which were brought to increased movement of fallow, red and sika deer around the Cairngorms in the 1950s and can still be seen there. the rut. You can reduce the Following a survey in 2016, the risk of deer collisions by noting British Deer Society published After spending the day in deer warning signs, and being online distribution maps of deer in Britain; five of the six species woodland, deer regularly move to more careful in wooded areas, around dawn and occur in Devon, only the Chinese more open areas to feed at dusk. especially dusk. Highest-risk times are water deer being absent. Seven Recent research indicates that from sunset to midnight, and sika deer were introduced on Lundy in 1927 and are still present over 74,000 deer may be involved shortly before and after sunrise. Always report any deer-vehicle on the island. in vehicle collisions each year collisions to the police and try to Recently, whilst driving along a in Britain remember to record the incident tree-lined section of a road across at www.deeraware.com/reportthe moor, at the end of the day incident. You can also email the British Deer Society at while still light, I saw two roe deer cross ahead of me. After spending the day in woodland, deer regularly move info@bds.org.uk and include the following information: location, date, time, species and number of deer, plus to more open areas to feed at dusk. Recent research any other comments. What is being done about it? The indicates that over 74,000 deer may be involved in Deer Initiative, a broad partnership of statutory and vehicle collisions each year in Britain. Increases in deer voluntary organisations (including the RSPCA), founded numbers and their distribution, particularly in urban the UK National Deer-Vehicle Collisions Project in areas, combined with more traffic, are resulting in 2003. If you wish to find out more about deer in Britain, many road traffic accidents each year. It is estimated
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