Feral deer will become Australia’s next feral pig problem without prompt action, report warns

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An unpublished Australian government assessment warns that feral deer have continued to spread and increase in number despite the national action plan covering 2020–2025. The invasive animals are costing farmers millions of dollars and may become a problem comparable to feral pigs without prompt intervention.

The invasive species has increased in spread and numbers and is costing farmers millions of dollars Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast An unpublished government report on feral deer shows Australia is failing in its efforts to stop the spread of what one advocate warns could become “Australia’s next feral pig”. The five years from 2020-2025 over which the national feral deer action plan was assessed covers a period in which the famously elusive species has increasingly encroached upon major cities, leading to more frequent encounters – including a memorable occasion in which two men in various degrees of undress were fined after becoming lost in the bush when they were spooked by deer while nude sunbathing. Continue reading...