Feral deer culled from city parks
Deer have become such a nuisance at Christchurch parks, hunters have been hired to shoot them for the first time in at least eight years.
Ten were killed at Victoria Park and the adjacent Bowenvale Park on the Port Hills overnight on Friday and into Saturday morning.
The city council said numbers were increasing to the point where the deer were causing noticeable damage to newer plants and established native bush.
Parks and surrounding tracks were closed as two contractors used thermal imaging equipment to help locate them.
Fifteen signs were placed around the reserve and at each entrance to Victoria Park, stating the area was closed from Friday 10pm to Saturday 6am, when the cull concluded.
‘‘This has effectively reduced the deer population in Bowenvale and Victoria Park to near zero,’’ council head of parks Andrew Rutledge said.
Deer carcasses would be removed from the site following the operation where possible.
Rutledge said there was no danger to the public during the cull. ‘‘Additional safety mechanisms such as using thermal image scopes and night vision equipment means that 100 per cent accuracy of identification can be made.’’
Rangers would continue to monitor the area for the presence of deer.
Further culls were likely to occur to avoid numbers building within reserves where restoration and protection of native biodiversity was the key outcome, Rutledge said.
The last managed deer cull carried out by the Christchurch City Council was roughly eight to 10 years ago, he said.