Hunter Local Land Services (LLS) is calling on all landholders to help identify “hot spots” of feral deer activity in the Port Stephens area.
While it’s been a concern in the LGA for many years, the negative impacts of the four-legged pests have increased as the region continues to grow.
The LLS crew recently worked with residents in Ferodale and the greater Raymond Terrace, who’ve experienced significant effects.
“There have been 45 reports of feral deer sightings, damage or control in the past two months alone,” Hunter Regional Pest Animal Committee chair Brett Miners said.
“The main areas appear to be Raymond Terrace and Forster.
“Members of the community are encouraged to download the FeralScan app on their device, which provides a quick and mobile way of reporting.
“That will help us with our targeted control programs to reduce their impacts.
“Deer are not native animals to Australia.
“They were introduced in the 19th Century and farmed through the state.
“But, now, there are four species of feral deer in the Hunter.
“Unfortunately, they breed quickly and become very difficult to manage as their populations grow.”
Some of the impacts being reported by residents in the region include:
- Threat to human life through road collisions;
- Economic impact to road users through damage to cars and insurance providers through insurance claims;
- Increase in mental health strain on landholders dealing with impacts on their land as well as, mental health impacts to local landholders who regularly respond to vehicle collisions;
- Impact on local producers through damage and grazing of crops and pasture, reducing yields of crops and reducing available feed for stock;
- Damage to fencing of production land increasing maintenance cost for landholders and adding a safety risk to the road reserves if cattle or other stock gain access through broken fences. Additionally impacts to fences of non-production lands is increasing property maintenance cost to landholders;
- Damage to native vegetation. This area has conservation and forestry land along with private landholders with environmental assets; and
- Damage to revegetation works being undertaken to improve natural environment including a koala habit restoration project. This adds both economic and continued environmental impacts.
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