Environmentalist Bob Brown says that his 2016 call for culling of deer in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and the campaign by Christine Milne and the Invasive Species Council has been justified by this year’s cull which removed 711 deer from the area. “The deer had spread their damage across the Central Plateau to the Walls of Jerusalem and next stop was Cradle Mountain so this successful cull is a stitch in time.”
“I am not a gun-lover and so it was a tough call seven years ago, but the threat was, and remains, that the feral deer would spread from the midlands throughout the entire TWWHA to the south coast, damaging its fragile ecosystems and threatening rare and endangered native plant and animal species.”
“The feral deer remain a threat in the Great Western Tiers (the western end of which is now riddled with deer) and along the Lyell Highway towards Derwent Bridge and west over the Marlborough Highway. Congratulations to the government and Parks personnel for taking this eleventh-hour action towards protecting the TWWHA from the deer invasion,” Brown said, “It is critical the culling is managed by Parks personnel, and does not become a recreational shooting opportunity for those deer shooters who have caused this problem in the first place.”
“Although the cull was a success, prevention is better than cure. The Rockliff Government must end the partial protection of feral deer. Spending $400,000 to cull feral deer while protecting them is ridiculous. End the partial protection now,” said Christine Milne.