Ministers: Stop protecting feral deer - Victorian National Parks AssociationVictorian National Parks Association

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Dear Minister for the Environment Steve Dimopoulos and Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence,

Re: Stop Protecting Feral Deer

I’m very concerned about the uncontained spread of feral deer across our state.

This is why I support the Stop Protecting Feral Deer letter signed by over 100 land and plantation owners, concerned citizens, scientists, Landcare groups, academics, veterinarians and more. I endorse their call for feral deer to be listed as a pest species in Victoria.

As their letter states, listing deer as a pest will:

• Send a clear message that removing feral deer from public and private land is a state priority.
• Remove legislative ambiguity about the protection and status of deer for land holders and managers.
• Add pest control tools such as trapping and baiting to deer management tools (similar to current support for rabbits and weeds like serrated tussock).
• Remove barriers for public and private land holders so they can manage deer as a pest instead of as a protected species.

The Victorian Government invests in the control of feral deer to protect biodiversity. I support this commitment and encourage further long-term investment. By continuing to protect feral deer to satisfy a small group, efforts to reduce the harmful impact of these animals are completely undermined.

Feral Sambar Deer have been listed as a threatening process under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act since 2007. Despite this they remain protected, while land holders and land managers struggle to control their numbers because their protection as a ‘game species’ creates bureaucratic hoops, ambiguity, confusion and mixed messages. Feral deer meet the necessary criteria and thresholds to be classified as a pest species.

Private landowners are unsure how to manage deer, and public land managers face complicated rules to control deer numbers. This is because deer are still treated as a game species for hunters, rather than focusing on reducing their population to protect nature, community and farmland. In fact, the law requires them to do just that, as seen in legislation like the National Parks Act.

In 2020, your government began the process of reviewing of the Wildlife Act 1975. The report from community consultations was given to the minister in 2021 but there has still not been a formal response.

That’s three years of feral deer reproducing and spreading further across our landscapes. I call on you to use this opportunity to finally list feral deer as a pest species under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. This necessary change would mean that they can be controlled, like feral pigs, foxes and rabbits and other invasive species.

Deer are exotic pests doing incredible harm right across Victoria. The impact of feral deer on community safety, our natural ecosystems and wildlife – as well as agricultural production and water catchments – must be taken seriously.

I ask you to listen to the voices of those impacted by feral deer who are struggling to deal with the damage they do to nature, wildlife habitat, agricultural production and human safety.

Feral deer are trashing and trampling Victoria’s landscapes from Wilsons Prom to Mount Bogong. They’ve even spread into urban areas.

The thing is, the Victorian Government list them as a ‘protected species’. So, despite the damage they cause, land managers and owners can’t effectively control their growing numbers.

But this could change if they listed feral deer as a pest. Ask your leaders to fix the way these destructive animals are dealt with.

Click on your mouse to move the arrows left and right to see the impact of feral deer on Cool Temperate Rainforest.

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