Little deer 'poses big menace'

[666_pack]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8375203.stm

[pablo]

not exactly cane toads are they? i mean i cant see them becoming any kind of menace anytime soon. and certainly with the number of gun toting maniacs roaming the countryside just waiting to blast anything the law allows them to.( of course i dont mean every gun owner,just the ones with questionable justifications for what they do)

id quite like to see them during a wander through the trees.

im wondering what kind of threat they actually pose? i noticed the news didnt bother to elaborate on that. as usual theyve just tried to shock with a headline and create some kind of reaction in people without actually giving all the facts.




look out for the `killer butterfly`headline coming soon to a `newspaper` soon.......the tossers!

[DryBag]

That's an interesting point.  I decided to do some research.

Because they were only recently (1894) introduced to the UK from China they haven't settled into a regular annual breeding pattern; instead does mate from 8 months old, they give birth to one kid after a 7 month gestation, and they are ready to mate again almost immediately.  In other words, laying aside other factors, the population could more than double every year.  In reality, it is believed numbers in the UK have doubled in the last 5 years to a quarter of a million.  This is what makes them a pest.

Unlike other species of deer in Britain, muntjac do not cause significant damage to agricultural or timber crops. However, high muntjac densities may result in the prevention of coppice regeneration and the loss of some plants of conservation importance, such as primulas.

The biggest problem with muntjac is collisions with cars, which cost UK insurers £17,000,000 last year.

Hunting them is encouraged, and apparently they taste great.

[pablo]

get any figures on n.ireland?

if hunting them was encouraged over here id say they would be wiped out in about a week!

any excuse to kill something with some people.though if its gonna be eaten rather than dumped in a ditch then i suppose its reasonable to hunt them for meat.

as for the insurers? . thats what you pay insurance for and i dont think their profits will suffer.though they will probably use it as justification to bump the prices up ......&$~

Edit* Please keep language family friendly*

[J]

True. You can't wipe out a shitload of animals because they occasionally wander about.

[DryBag]

There's supposed to be no wild muntjac in N. Ireland, but there's some in the South, and some kept in estates.

[chris]

Strange, I cant figure out how a few deer can become a menace to society! Although It made me laugh when they stated their intent to eradicate them and in the next paragraph one was "accidently " hit by a car.

[twentyclicks]

Where are the wolves??