Wild+Deer+in+Port+Macquarie

Welcome to the Kathryn home page. = Introduction of Wild Deer in Port Macquarie = Wild Deer were mainly introduced for consumption, mainly for venison. Several species of deer were introduced into Australia. These deer include: = Description = Deer may vary in size colour and the shape of their antlers.
 * **Fallow Deer**
 * **Red Deer**
 * **Asian Rusa Deer**
 * **Chital Deer**
 * **Hog Deer**
 * **Sambar Deer**
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The Chital Deer
The Chital Deer originates from India. It weighs approximately 140kg and is 86cm tall from the shoulder. It is light to dark brown with white spots which appear as broken lines down the back. It is very gregarious. They were introduced in the early 1800s by Dr John Harris. He was a surgeon and by 1813 he had about 400 of these deer on his property.

The Hog Deer
The Hog Deer is related to the Chital Deer. It is 70cm tall and weighs approximately 55kg. It was first liberated in Victoria in 1865. It likes to roam around by itself unlike other deer. It has light coloured spots with a dark dorsal strip. Its fur is dark brown in winter and a reddish brown in summer.

The Sambar Deer
The Sambar Deer is the largest of the species. It is 127cm tall and weighs approximately 225kg. It is normally brown but some are grey and may vary to a black. They were released in Victoria in 1863. They have migrated to the Southern Highland and southern New South Wales.

The Rusa Deer
The Rusa Deer is related to the Sambar Deer. It weighs approximately 140 kg and is 110cm tall at the shoulder. Their fur varies from grey to brown. They are very shy. They came from New Caledonia between 1861-1865 and then migrated to New South Wales.

The Fallow Deer
The Fallow Deer are the most common of all the deer species. They weigh approximately 90kg and are 90cm. They have a light reddish brown fur with white spots. They have a range of colours such as black, white and menil. They are very gregarious. They were introduced to Tasmania prior to 1850.

The Red Deer
The Red Deer are known as the deer of literature as they have so many books written about them.They weigh approximately 160kg and are 120cm tall from the shoulder. The fur is a dull brown in winter to a rich red in summer. They were introduced to Australia in 1860.

= The effects on Port Macquarie = There are an estimated 4690 wild deer in Port Macquarie and boarding areas. Most of these deer have been purely farmed since 12th of Feburary 2001. The registered and licensed hunters have culled approximately 1260. The deer numbers have recently increased to the tens of thousands, and the council have currently culled around 700.

Numbers have shown that 12 deer have been removed from Thrumster in May 2005, as there are threatened species in the area, such as the Grass Owl and the Eastern Chestnut Mouse. The deer have been accessing the regions water supply for 12 months, reported by the Water supply manager Murray Thompson in May 2010. The main concern is the potentially serious public health issues from parasitic diseases. These diseases enter the water supply and as a result, cause deer defecation within the catchment area and the water supply storage. The deer also cause a huge risk to people and drivers. In May 2010 deer have caused several dangerous accidents along Ocean Drive as the deer try to cross the road. Large herds have been reported around Lake Innes. There are 150 landcare volunteers which provide the council 1100 hours per year and all up costs $38500 annually. The 5 feral deer volunteers cost $7000 annually.


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Why did they choose to cull the deer?
Culling deer is the most effective way. If they trap the deer and re-release it they are most likely be able to find their way back and possibly cause more damage. Tranquilizer darts are not practical and using bait will cause too much distress. Usually the deer go to a water supply to die and then the Port Macquarie Council are left to get rid of the dead carcass.

=== What are they doing to the native flora and fauna? === Deer are a pests and are known to eat gardens and destroy wetlands where native animals food and water supplies are needed. They also consume local vegetation which ultimately alters the balance of our large scale native herbivores who then become threatened not just by the deer themselves but also by foxes and wild dogs. Deer are herbivorous. They eat native plants and can have a huge impact on threatened plant species. Deer population around Port Macquarie is not making it any easier. They trample and browse on rare littoral rainforest fragments. Deer have a negative impact on threatened plant speices such as: = My Interview = I recently had an interview with Mr Thor Aaso the main expert on the wild deer at the Port Macquarie Council. "What they do the often eat vegetation and sometimes that vegetation is very rare like coastal rainforests and swamp forest that they will graze in, some of the other damage is when they russ ( the males antlers grow) they have that sort of velt around their antlers when they want to get that off they will rub the antlers up against trees and that will snap branches off. So they can do a bit of damage that way. The other affects is because of their numbers we dont know how many probably 10 of thousands potentially tha amount of grazing in the wet lands is obviously having an impact on the vegetation that growing so they might like certain types of plants and might be selectivly eating them which might be tipping them off on the of vegetation that will be growing there. Also they cause alot of accidents espacially along Lake Cathie road and along the Oxley Highway. We have culled aproximatley 700 deer".
 * **Sophora Tomentosa**
 * **Hibiscus Tiliaceus**
 * **Cynanchum Elegans**
 * Q: What are they doing to our ecosystem? **
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Possibly thousands. I know right now that the National Parks and Wildlife group are doing a trapping program at the moment that is costing thousands. Also we have volunteer shooters which cost council $35 per hour for a maximum of 5 hours a day. The main species of deer in Port Macquarie are:
 * Q.What will the cost be on trying to contain the deer to smaller numbers? **
 * Q.What are the main species of deer in the Port Macquarie region? **
 * The Sambar Deer
 * The Chital Deer
 * The Rusa Deer[[image:http://mrwrsafaris.com/images/new_images/samba/Sambar_stare_sm.jpg width="377" height="340" align="right" caption="external image Sambar_stare_sm.jpg"]]


 * I would like to thank Mr Aaso for his time. **

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