Politicians call for deer management as Macroom bypass crashes soar
Fine Gael senator Eileen Lynch recently told the Upper House that a massive increase in traffic accidents on the Macroom by-pass, opened two years ago, and on the N22 is a result of wild deer. File Picture: Dan Linehan
Farmers, motorists, and onlookers are being urged to stay safe during the annual deer rutting season now at its peak.
Stags, which can weigh more than 158kg, compete for females by roaring and clashing antlers to dominate their rivals at this time of the year.
They can also run at high speeds, and are highly dangerous and unpredictable due to their hormone levels.
People flock to Killarney National Park, Phoenix Park in Dublin, Wicklow Mountains National Park, and other locations to watch the spectacle, which occurs over six weeks during October and November.
Visitors are advised to keep a safe distance from the animals for their own safety, remain alert to the risk of road traffic accidents, and avoid disturbing the deer.
The risk to motorists is highest during the rutting season, but a surge in the deer population over recent years has also led a rise in road accidents involving the animals.
Fine Gael senator Eileen Lynch recently told the Upper House that a massive increase in traffic accidents on the Macroom by-pass, opened two years ago, and on the N22 is a result of wild deer.
“The deer have been displaced, and that is causing more of them to be on the road.
“Last week, I got a call from a member of the public whose car had been hit by a deer between Ballyvourney and Macroom, causing hundreds of euro worth of damage,” she said.
Ms Lynch said she was aware that measures have been taken by agriculture minister Martin Heydon to introduce deer management units, which have been set up by farm relief services. There is one in Cork and another in Kerry.
She called on the minister to come to the House to clarify whether these units are working to their required level of efficiency, and to look at whether a compensation scheme can be put in place for those who have accidents because of these deer.
“I know deer are not owned by anyone as such, but when we are not putting the correct management tools in place, and innocent people are having accidents as a result, we need to look to look at it,” she said.
Ms Lynch said she is also aware of two new pilot schemes having been rolled out in Kerry.
One is for detection and alert, and the other is a deterrent which generates noise to prevent deer going on to the public roads.
“Similar schemes have been implemented in the United States,” she said, asking the minister to see if these could be implemented on a country-wide basis here.
Senator Sean Kyne (FG) said Ms Lynch had raised a serious concern regarding deer wandering on the Macroom by-pass since it opened.
“I am not sure if there is deer fencing along the bypass,” he said, pledging to raise the matter with Mr Heydon.
Replying to a Dáil question from Malcolm Byrne (FF), the minister said the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Marine does not maintain records in relation to the number of deer in the State.
