Ashdown Forest: Countryside manager raises concerns about deer population

The Ashdown Forest's high deer population is said to be threatening habitats for other species

An Ashdown Forest countryside manager has said the forest's deer population needs to be "sustainably managed" or some other species may become rarer.

The local deer population is believed to be three times higher than what it should be.

Culling has been used to try to control the population of deer and limit their impact.

PETA UK's vice president of programmes Elisa Allen said culling was "ineffective" and "cruel".

But the Countryside Alliance said sustained management of deer populations was vital to "maintain a healthy and balanced" environment in the UK, and that culling was a "humane" method.

Its spokesperson, Roger Seddon, said: "With the population of deer in England at its highest since the Norman conquest, and in the absence of any natural predators, culling is a necessary, humane and widely accepted method of deer management.

"By controlling deer numbers, we ensure that young trees can grow, habitat for rare species can be conserved and that healthy, lean, iron-rich meath enters the food chain."

Countryside manager Ash Walmsley said the deer population was having a "significant impact on our woodland economy".

"We need to find a way of sustainably managing our deer population or else we will not have a healthy woodland habitat for wildlife to thrive," he added.

The Woodland Trust said over-grazing from deer could prevent the regeneration of woodland, which can have a knock-on impact on other species.

Mr Walmsley said impacted animals in Ashdown Forest include dormice and some butterfly species.

'Slow, horrifyingly painful deaths'

Ms Allen argued that killing deer only caused their population to rebound as it resulted in a spike in food supply, accelerating the breeding of those alive.

Ms Allen said: "It can be difficult for hunters to get a clear shot and deer often endure slow, horrifyingly painful deaths."

"We will never achieve ecological harmony through the barrel of a gun," she added.

Mr Walmsley said he would be "all for" an alternative method to culling if it was feasible and successful.

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