GATE OPENING TIMES AT BUSHY PARK CHANGE BECAUSE OF DEER CULL
A change to the opening times of the gates of Bushy Park come into force this month as the six week deer cull begins.
Vehicle gates will close at 7pm and pedestrian gates will close at 1030pm. All gates will open at 8am.
The bright yellow warning signs say DANGER NO ENTRY – Deer cull – firearms in Use.
“For visitors safety from the beginning of September for 6 weeks and again at the beginning of November for 6 weeks the vehicle gates will be closed at 19:00 and pedestrian gates at 22.30. Both gates types will open at 08.00.
“All gates open as normal on Saturdays and Sundays.”
Bushy Park’s annual deer cull takes place for several weeks in September-October and November-December to manage the population, prevent overcrowding, and maintain deer welfare.
The Royal Parks, which control Bushy Park and Richmond Park states that culling is necessary to avoid starvation and disease in the deer herd.
Bushy Park is home to over 320 red and fallow deer. Deer herds have played a major role in the park’s history and have shaped the landscape too dating back to the days of Henry V111.
Why the Cull Happens
- Population Control:
The large deer population needs to be managed to prevent them from outgrowing the park’s carrying capacity.
- Deer Welfare:
A cull prevents suffering caused by starvation, malnutrition, and disease from overcrowding and parasites.
- Habitat Management:
The deer’s grazing shapes the park’s grassland habitat, but excessive grazing can damage it.
- No Licensed Alternatives:
There are no licensed contraceptives for free-living wild deer in the UK.
The Royal Parks website states: The British Deer Society and the Deer Initiative of England and Wales fully endorse humane culling as best practice in deer herd management and The Royal Parks is an expert on enclosed wild deer herds.
If the herd size was not managed food would become scarce, and more animals would ultimately suffer.
Without population control there would be other welfare issues such as low body fat, malnutrition and high incidence of death from exposure to cold in winter. Attempting to maintain too many deer within a restricted park area would soon lead to a build-up of parasites and other pathogens causing disease in the deer.
It’s important to understand that we only undertake humane culling for deer welfare reasons and not as a way to make money.
Money raised from the sale of venison goes towards the cost of deer feed and the Wildlife Officers we employ to look after the deer. The Royal Parks make no profit from keeping herds of deer in Richmond and Bushy Parks.