Residents raise safety concerns over deer cull

The cull is proposed at Holwell Nature Reserve to protect newly-planted saplings

Residents have raised safety concerns over a planned cull of deer at a Leicestershire nature reserve.

The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT) said shoots were needed to manage Muntjac deer population in at Holwell Nature Reserve, near Melton Mowbray.

However, people who live nearby said they feared dog walkers or ramblers might get shot by accident because the timings of the cull have not been announced.

The trust said there would be no safety risk to any resident and the shooting would take place in areas with no public access.

The wildlife trust said Muntjacs had no natural predators so human interventions were needed to manage populations

Holwell resident Simon Wilkinson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the area was a “short distance” from a “busy road into the village” used by dog walkers, horse riders and people “just having a bit of a ramble”.

He said: “The trust is not telling us when their deer manager is going to be out there shooting at the deer. So we’re concerned about safety.”

Colin Green, who also lives in Holwell, said: “The trust says they are committed to this cull to protect tree saplings in the new Holwell Wood, but there are other ways to control deer, such as fencing.”

'Capable deer managers'

The LRWT said 13,000 trees had recently been planted in the area which it was concerned the deer could damage.

A trust spokesman said: "Plastic guards have been placed around the trees to give protection for the first one to two years.

"This pre-emptive management is necessary so that when the guards are removed, and the saplings are still vulnerable to damage, the deer pressure has been and continues to be managed.

"We try to minimise our interventions, but we do manage our sites to maximise their benefit for wildlife.

"Signs will be put up making the public aware that management is under way.

"Deer control will not take place in areas which are accessible to the public and only well-trained, experienced, and capable deer managers will undertake this work."

The trust declined to say how many deer would be culled.

Additional reporting by Dan Martin