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.