South East Local Land Services will work with land managers between Kiah and Moruya to trap, collar and release fallow and sambar deer to track their movements as part of a four-year initiative.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The collaring initiative is the next step in the Far South Coast Wild Deer Management Plan, to monitor and understand the behaviour of wild deer on the Far South Coast. It was commencing in early July.
Local Land Services senior biosecurity officer, Dan Biddulph, said wild deer were an emerging issue.
"They present a real threat to many native plant species and apply unwanted grazing pressure to private agricultural land," he said.
"To date we've been able to work out some of the points where the deer congregate to feed, but what we don't have a clear picture of is how they move through the landscape, what paths they use and what other potential control sites they visit."
Each collared deer will also be tagged to indicate that it is not fit for human consumption
Previous stages of the plan have involved collating community reports of deer activity, aerial and ground based surveillance, the testing of remotely activated small and large scale paddock traps, and the use of contractors to conduct ground shooting.
"By attaching these tracking collars to a number of deer we'll be able to get useful information about their movements which will help us better inform the community about their control options and develop targeted control plans for high risk areas." Mr Biddulph said.
Local Land Services hope the data collected via the collars will contribute to the overall community education regarding the impacts of wild deer on native and productive environments from the Victorian border to Batemans Bay.
A SELLS spokesperson said the deer will be sedated for the application of the collars and the sedative was not permitted in food producing animals.
"The community should be aware that any deer with a tracking collar that is shot is not suitable for human consumption," the spokesperson said.
"Each collared deer will also be tagged to indicate that it is not fit for human consumption so they can still be identified if the collar falls off.
"Land managers are encouraged to cull all deer, if you do cull a deer with a collar please return it to South East Local Land Services so it can be re-deployed."
For more information about the Far South Coast Deer Management Plan contact the biosecurity team at the Bega Local Land Services office on 6491 7800.
READ MORE: Wool market hits mid-year recess on a high
