Following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Irish Deer Commission member Ashley Glover, documents outlining a detailed Deer Management Plan and a Deer Population Census of Red deer in Glenveagh National Park, Co Donegal were received from the Department of Heritage, Culture and the Gaeltacht on March 6th, 2020.
The comprehensive reports were commissioned by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and are a welcomed development, their findings show Red deer densities at low levels, despite no culling taking place in the Park since 2010. The reports give an intriguing insight into the historical introductions of Red deer to the Park from other areas such as Scotland and Co Meath along with previous cull records and deer behavior.
A second report commissioned in 2017 on the Parks Red deer population density, distribution and structure made two recommendations, a cull of no more than 10% of the deer population (estimated to be 297 Red deer) or a second option of no culling to allow the Red deer benefit the Parks ecosystem through grazing combined with fencing of woodland areas.
Click on the links below to read both reports
A request has also been made for a comprehensive Deer Management Plans for Killarney and Wicklow National Parks and we hope to share these at a later date.
Glenveagh Deer Management Plan
Red Deer Population and Structure Glenveagh National Park
Photograph: Mike Browne