The Irish government has had to defend a deer cull. More than 30 wild deer from the herd in Dublin’s Phoenix Park were culled in what the Irish Office of Public Works (OPW) said was an effort to manage its size.
The OPW confirmed 34 animals were killed as part of a controlled exercise. Their carcases were sold to a game dealer approved by the Department of Agriculture.
Facing criticism from antis, the OPW says that the deer are a valued asset of the park, and numbers are kept under control for a variety of reasons including biodiversity protection and in order to help reduce the potential for road traffic accidents.
The cull was carried out in consultation with the School of Biology & Environmental Science at University College Dublin (UCD) and a veterinarian expert in deer welfare.
One anti told the Irish Times: “Shooting deer in view of other deer is barbaric, all animals experience fear at seeing their friends killed -as humans would.” – and the Irish Times printed it.
