Experts urge deer cull to kill 750,000 deer each year
Experts are urging a huge deer cull which could see close to a million animals being shot each year in the UK.
They claim that culling on such a massive scale is necessary just to keep the exploding deer population at its current level.
The call to arms was made after new research showed that it was only by killing 50% to 60% of deer populations could their numbers be kept under control.
This is slaughter on a far greater scale than the 20% to 30% culling rates previously recommended.
The results, published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, indicate that existing management strategies are failing.
With total deer numbers conservatively estimated at about 1.5 million, it could result in more than 750,000 animals being shot every year.
Do we need a mass cull of deer?
Experts from the University of East Anglia and Thetford Forest have spoken to ITV News Anglia about the need for a mass cull of deer.
Experts urge deer cull to protect countryside
Scientists say that only by killing 50% or 60% can their numbers be kept under control.