The deer in question live in the limited confines of walled parks where they have no natural predators. Their environment is not natural. Because of this it is necessary to cull a few every year to prevent the herds from becoming too big or too old. The shooters substitute themselves for absent predators and so redress the imbalance that would be sorted out naturally in the wild. Only the old and inferm are culled. If they didn't do this the whole herd would be in danger of becoming ill due to overcrowding or having sick specimens in the herd for too long a period of time. In nature wolves or other predators would do the culling and would take the older and more sickly animals first.

It's nothing to do with profit. It's about maintaining a balance in a false environment so that the herds survive and people can enjoy their presence in the parks.

I'm sorry if it saddens you but I for one would be more upset if the whole herd were to become ill.


Reg

Humanity lives outside its "natural" space and no longer takes up its place in the food chain. What's more humanity has densely overpopulated the planet to the point of forcing permanent and catastrophic changes to the global environment.

Who should be culling who?

er yes there is we call them Wars and famins.

survival of the fittest or better.

I have to say I'm becoming disgusted with the attitude of animal rights people. You seem to think it's okay to attack humans in the course of 'protecting' animals. So, animal suffering is wrong, but human suffering is okay by you, is it? And you don't mind adding to it? What's this crap about you know the name of the private security firm and you'll release it if they don't pull out? Or what? You'll encourage people to send death threats to their employees or set fire to their cars like you did for the SHAC campaign?
Who DO you think you are?

Reginald, you are either lying or misinformed, they kill all ages of deer not just the old and infirm. They prefer to kill some of each age group to keep similar proportions of numbers as in nature so they say, so in fact they have never claimed it is only the old and infirm that they kill. Where did you get that idea from then?

Reginald is partly right, it is a cull to mimick nature. If its not done there will be higher chance of bugs passing between them and general over crowding. There would be alot more fighting among the males that can't escape else where because of the natural barriers that man has put up. The number of males will need to be kept low meaning that deer of any age could be shot. Yes even babys!! OMG!?

I'm all for peoples freedom of speech but trying to scare people that are just trying to do there job to help the animals in the long run is sick. You may think all animals deserve a life over man but its just not that simple and once again its people who don't know what the heck they are talking about sticking there noses in where its not needed. Go and use your energy somewhere more worth while and let these guys get on with there jobs.

Animal abusers kill and torture animals in their millions, in horrific ways. You seriously think spraying their cars or smashing their windows is anywhere near as bad as that? That is getting off incredibly lightly.

There aren't random innocent people who are targeted, they are hunt scum who enjoy and make a living from animal misery and suffering. As far as I'm concerned they deserve any shit they get. This isn't some genteel game of cricket, there are sentient lives at stake.

I'm not sure if you are one of the standard anti-AR trolls we get here on Indymedia, or just someone who hates animals and does care about their suffering, but get a sense of proportion.

But I bet you'd be happy if someone did hurt them? It doesn't matter if they are hurt or not making someone so scared that they think they might be hurt is bad enough (and saying "well now they know how the animals feel" is just silly)

I obviously hate animals seeing as I get up at 6am everyday to tend to my pigs and chickens and take my dogs for a walk. I must really hate animals to waste so much time and energy on something I hate. I just know enough about the country to know that sometimes animals need to die not just for meat but to keep the rest of the animals safe and help return the natural balance. Its not rocket science I just wish antis would find something else to occupy there time with.

It's a bit of a tricky subject but when you come to the crunch so called animal lovers need to take a reality check. The Royal Parks can only support a certain amount of Deer, they have nearly no natural predators
so they have to be culled. The fact that the shooters enjoy their work is besides the point.
Cat Lovers are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions of Wild Birds each year, as well as Mice and voles and just about anything else that Pussy can get it's claws into.
Due to supersiton and chemical farming there are very few raptors/ falcons around, in the last twenty years the population of Jays / Magpies / Crows as seen a serious increase in the last twenty years. These birds are a big problem for song birds, as they not only eat the young but they destroy entire clutches of eggs and chicks. Herons are also very much on the increase these guys are armed with a beak like a six inch kitchen knife and are very stealthy hunters, they eat just about everything. Cormorants are another big hunter and have also expaned their territories, I saw a picture recently, in a national newspaper of a Cormorant that had caught a large pike maybe a couple of Kilo's, these birds are decimated fish stocks in fresh water lakes. So something needs to be done. If it's allowed to continue then there will be practically zero wildlife. It's all very well to play "cat and mouse" games with the cops and hunt heavies but do you have any suggestions as regards to serious solution. One thing for certain we should be creating more animal habitat, and reintroducing Falcons and other Birds of Prey. These would be positive steps.
I can see why people get so upset about Vivisection but I would not like to be part of any of the heavy action campaigns, bad vibes all round.

There are 6 BILLION plus people on this planet expected to go up to 9 BILLION. What absolute arrogance to say that it is other species who are overpopulated. WE are grossly overpopulated, WE are the problem, WE have to breed less and then other species will not be choked by our filth and we will also have a greater quality of life, win win and no-one has to get killed. I am aware that wildlife hospitals and the RSPCA do shoot deer who are badly injured or very old and suffering badly with a captive bolt pistol because deer are very shy and suffer immensely if taken into captivity they often die of shock personally I think that this is the only way to help an individual to end their lives with less suffering. It is an option I would want if I was in great pain and there was no possible medical help.To go out and kill those who are older is akin to shooting people in their seventies.

It's true the deer have no natural predators, but that isn't their fault seeing how we have killed the predators off. Many species will regulate their own population levels based on the availability of food and territory (e.g. foxes), although I'm not sure it that applies to deer. If not, what is wrong with more humane methods of population management like birth control? Why should the deer suffer and die for an artificial situation we have put them in?

"I obviously hate animals seeing as I get up at 6am everyday to tend to my pigs and chickens and take my dogs for a walk. I must really hate animals to waste so much time and energy on something I hate."

Are these rescued animals or ones that you are intending to kill to eat at some point? If it is the latter, then you are just seeing the animals as commodities, so yes, do do hate them as individuals and sentient being, even if you do like them as material possessions.

@ Really?! - "the natural barriers that humans put up" - how are they natural?

If you do some research and look at other species of animals and deer in the wild, you'll see how numbers balance themselves out even when no natural predators are present. If there are few resources for the animals in the herd already, they won't breed as this will increase the demand for the available resources.

In Scotland, culling takes place to increase the resources available and therefore the number of annual births so there are fitter younger animals to be hunted.

Richmond Park used to be a deer-hunting park. It still is.