Cemetery deer ‘still at large’
A herd of deer ‘‘at large’’ in a Nelson cemetery will be sold at auction if they are not removed by their owner within a week.
The Nelson City Council said it was in the process of giving public notice for the owner of the deer to remove them from Marsden Valley Cemetery where they have been for at least three weeks.
If the deer are not removed within a week, they will be sold at a public auction.
The council has the right to ‘‘seize and impound’’ stock trespassing on its land.
The council said ownership of the deer was ‘‘currently unconfirmed’’. However, staff believed they were originally farmed stock.
Up to 16 deer have been seen roaming the cemetery grounds and council has had reports of them wandering around the wider Marsden Valley area.
‘‘Council is aware that the animals have potential to cause a nuisance to property and on the roads, so is working hard to try and resolve the situation,’’ communication adviser Caroline Crick said.
Last week, the council warned hunters that shooting a deer in a populated area was ‘‘completely out of the question’’.
‘‘The deer are roaming in a built up area. It is a significant safety hazard to use firearms and to do so would be a police matter.
‘‘The shooting of deer in an urban or urban fringe area is completely out of the question and is obviously extremely dangerous.’’
The discovery of deer in the cemetery came after a stag sparked a two-hour hunt through the streets of Stoke on April 1.