Deer are 'protected wildlife' in Victoria. These hunters want it to stay that way
Conservationists are calling for deer to be deemed a pest across Victoria, saying their status as protected wildlife is stymieing efforts to reduce their numbers. State and federal governments are working to lessen the environmental and agricultural damage caused by deer.
Transcript
00:00The deer Bill Barry keeps on his rural property in eastern Victoria are well cared for.
00:09Some people get gold fever, I've got deer fever. I just love them, they're just a great
00:13animal to look at, very majestic, the stags.
00:18Wild deer are considered a pest in most of Australia, causing damage to crops, farming
00:23infrastructure and habitat, and biosecurity risks to livestock.
00:28But in Victoria eight species are protected wildlife on public land, under the Wildlife
00:34Act. Six of those species are listed as game, which
00:37means they can be killed by licensed hunters. Advocates say it's a mature approach that
00:43maintains the sustainability of hunting.
00:46If they were to be removed from the game status then they would not be subject to such regulations,
00:52the activity wouldn't be in front of everybody, you'd also lose public land access.
00:56In 2020 the state government appointed an expert panel to review the nearly 50 year
01:01old Wildlife Act, but it's yet to release the panel's report.
01:05The Wildlife Act reforms are stalled, so we'd be keen to see that process reinitiated and
01:11reinvigorated.
01:12It's the same situation in Tasmania where they are protected. Nowhere else in Australia
01:17are feral deer protected as a hunting resource rather than treated as the pest animal that
01:22they are.
01:23Deer were first introduced to Victoria in the mid-19th century. Today they cover around
01:2740% of the state, including here in Dargo and Victoria's High Country.
01:33Bill Barry has dedicated his life to deer, leading hunting safaris in Australia and New
01:39Zealand.
01:40Quite a prestigious award for taking the biggest stag for that year.
01:44He believes they should never be eradicated.
01:47It would be very degrading for the poor animals, any deer really, to go onto the vermin list,
01:53it's ridiculous.
01:54We need that status overturned, but we also need to recognise when it comes to invasive
01:59species management, there is no stroke of the pen that is going to solve this issue.
02:04It's a difficult choice with no clear answers.