Wollongong City Council has formalised a new agreement with South East Local Land Services (SELLS), ensuring the current collaborative approach to managing feral deer will continue through the peak rut season.
The new Service Level Agreement will see Council continue to work with SELLS, a NSW Government agency, which coordinates the Illawarra Feral Deer Management Program (Program).
Council has been a part of the Program, which aims to reduce the number and impact of feral deer in the Wollongong Local Government Area and surrounds, since its inception in 2011. Deer management is a shared responsibility for all landholders, and this Program is a collaborative effort involving agencies such as the National Parks and Wildlife Service, RSPCA, NSW Police and private landowners.
The South East Regional Strategic Pest Animal Management Plan 2024-2028 identifies that effective control options for rusa deer are limited, with ground and aerial shooting currently being the only practical tools for broadscale use in the region.
Under the new agreement, SELLS will continue to engage licensed contractors to undertake night-time ground shooting on suitable land. The suitability of Council-managed land for ground shooting will continue to be assessed as part of this process.
Having written to the NSW Government seeking continuation of the agreement in May, Lord Mayor of Wollongong Councillor Tania Brown was pleased to see the new agreement – that will remain in place until 30 June 2027 – finalised.
"Everyone is aware of the impact feral deer can have, and not just on bush and agricultural land," Cr Brown said.
"As we've seen recently, they can turn up on major roads, in residential streets and even the beach, posing a risk to drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, boaties and surfers. They are a pest species and can certainly have a destructive impact, so it's important joint efforts to reduce their numbers are maintained.
"It's important that effective control methods continue to be used across the landscape to reduce the number of deer in our region and, through this agreement, we are pleased to see that sustained culling efforts will continue."
Community members can support the management of feral deer by reporting sightings through Feralscan , with information about sightings shared on the website used to plan future control programs. Injured deer should be reported to NSW Police.
Council's website also has information and advice for those who may get deer in their gardens or on their property.
