Yearly deer cull
The annual deer cull in Bushy Park will start at the beginning of September and November for approximately five weeks.
During this time the park will be closed overnight to the public Sunday evening to Friday morning (pedestrian gates closed from 10:30pm to 8:00am) so make note of the times if especially if you are an early riser for morning walk/jog or you use the park to commute at these times.
The 1000 acre park has approximately 400 deer and park managers have to balance the needs of the deer with those of visitors. To maintain the optimum deer welfare, numbers are kept in check each year with the male cull in September and females in November.
The main aim is to ensure that the number of deer doesn’t grow to exceed the food available – in turn causing malnutrition and lack of body fat for warmth during the winter months. The focus is usually on elderly deer (teeth are sometimes so worn down that they can no longer graze) and those with imperfections which could lead to birth defects in future generations.