West Cork councillors call for deer cull after litany of 'crashes and near misses'

Members of the West Cork Municipal District Council also voiced concerns the deer are connected to the spread of TB and Lyme disease in the region

One councillor said new research suggests that Ireland’s increasing population of Sika Deer may be linked to local outbreaks of Bovine TB in cattle. File picture: Denis Minihane

The National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) is being asked to carry out a major cull of the deer population in West Cork which has caused numerous car accidents and concerns they are connected to the spread of TB and Lyme disease in the region.

Members of the West Cork Municipal District Council heard of a litany of “crashes and near misses” involving deer all over the region. Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington said he had received many calls from motorists who crashed into deer wandering on the roads in the region at night or in the early morning.

“I received a call from a lady who left her home in Urhan on the Beara Peninsula early in the morning to travel to Cork. She only travelled a mile when she came around a turn to find two deer in the middle of the road. She hit one and did substantial damage to her car, which cost her almost €3,000 to repair. It was a frightening experience for her,” he said.

He said he had also received calls from people who had hit deer or narrowly missed them on the main road near the Derryconnell Civic Amenity Site in Schull.

“If you travel the main road from Castletownbere to Cork via the ‘Bantry Line’ you will encounter a number of deer at Rossmackowen, Adrigole, Glengarriff, Kealkill, Copeen and Bengour. We’ve also heard of several reports of near misses on the Macroom bypass,” Mr Harrington said. 

“They are becoming an extreme danger on our roads and this needs to be addressed.” 

He added new research suggests that Ireland’s increasing population of Sika Deer may be linked to local outbreaks of Bovine TB in cattle. “At the moment there are isolated outbreaks of TB in a number of locations throughout West Cork where deer numbers have increased,” Mr Harrington said.

He added that in recent years there has also been an increase in Lyme disease, especially in West Cork and South Kerry.

“Many GPs have associated the increase in Lyme disease in their patients with the rise in the deer population. There needs to be a countywide approach to this and, if possible, in conjunction with Kerry County Council, to tackle this issue,” Mr Harrington said.

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Fine Gael councillor Noel O’Donovan said that wildlife must be appreciated but it can’t be put ahead of human health and safety.

Fianna Fáil councillor Patrick Gerard Murphy, chairman of the municipal district, said he had several encounters with deer on the roads and agreed culling should take place.

Independent councillor Danny Collins said he had noticed a big increase in deer numbers in the Bantry region and also expressed concern that they’re linked to the spread of Lyme disease.

Social Democrats councillor Isobel Towse maintained it would be a good idea to have the deer tested to see if there’s a connection between the outbreaks of TB in West Cork areas where their population has increased.