More than half the 1.5 million muntjac and roe deer population in Norfolk and Suffolk should be culled, according to new research by the University of East Anglia.

The study found that deer populations were far higher than expected, and that present management was not enough to stop numbers from spreading out of control.

“There are more deer in the UK than at any time since the ice age,” said the report. “In the absence of natural predators, populations are continuing to expand – causing a serious threat to biodiversity, as well as road traffic accidents and crop damage.”

“In the absence of natural predators, populations are continuing to expand – causing a serious threat to biodiversity, as well as road traffic accidents and crop damage.”
University of East Anglia report

The research team investigated deer populations across 234sq km of forested land and heathland in Breckland, East Anglia. They found that while current deer management appeared to control numbers at a stable level, this was only because thousands of deer were migrating to the surrounding countryside.

They recommended a cull of 53% of the muntjac population, and 60% of roe deer to stabilise numbers; well above previous recommendations of 30% and 20%, respectively. To reduce the populations, even more deer would have to be culled.

A spokeswoman for the RSCPA said any cull had to be supported by science, and should be carried out in a humane and controlled way. “Any decision to cull must be taken on a case by case basis – we don’t believe this should be rolled out in a uniform way across the whole country.”