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Ten confirmed sightings of deer in the Tweed and 2 in the Kyogle region have been recorded since the Northern Rivers Feral Deer Alert program was launched in May.
Council’s Feral Deer Management Officer Rachel Hughes said there had been more than 30 anecdotal sightings across the Tweed, Kyogle and Lismore local government areas since the program began in this region.
“In the past week, 2 sightings were reported in the Tweed at Bilambil Heights, one at Pottsville and one at Crabbes Creek near the Tweed Shire border. These weren’t just way out in the bush as people might think, they are moving in very close to residential areas,” Ms Hughes said.
“We know people aren’t out and about at the moment during the lockdown, however we really need your help if you do see a deer as this can get away from us if we don’t act now – the deer won’t wait for us.”
Ms Hughes said as a community, we need to be on high alert because having feral deer in built-up areas comes with an increased risk of vehicle collisions, harassment of pets, animals and cattle and finding deer in backyards eating vegetable patches.
“The advice is not to approach the deer as they can get aggressive, especially in their mating season," she said.
“We don’t want people to be alarmed but just be aware this is a real issue and we need the community’s help.
“It’s quite worrying to have so many reports of deer in the local area, but we are grateful to the community for reporting sightings. Without these reports, we wouldn't know where to focus our efforts.”
This community awareness campaign aims to prevent feral deer numbers growing out of control in the region by asking the community, farmers, landholders, bushwalkers and motorists to report any feral deer sightings.
“We urge the community to report any sightings and take a photo or video if it’s safe to do so. Receiving reports from the public is critical to prevent the deer situation from escalating,” Ms Hughes said.
Six species of feral deer have been introduced in Australia and they are quickly becoming one of the country’s most concerning pest animals as they breed quickly and become difficult to manage as their populations grow.
A series of community workshops held recently aimed to inform people how to identify and report feral deer and how to control them on their property.
“All 4 workshops were well received with participants finding them useful and informative. It was also an opportunity to gather anecdotal evidence regarding areas where deer have been spotted in the region,” Ms Hughes said.
Prevent feral deer getting out of control by reporting all sightings at feralscan.org.au/deerscan or phone Local Land Services on 1300 795 299 . For more information go to feraldeeralert.com.au.
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