'We can’t wait for somebody to get killed': Call for West Cork deer cull after crashes and near-misses

Councillor described a near miss while driving the previous week, when a deer jumped out in front of his vehicle

Councillors heard deer were an increasingly common sight on roads and the problem appeared to be getting worse each year.

West Cork councillors have called for increased deer culling, warning that motorists were being injured as the animals spread into more areas.

Cork County Council’s Western Division committee agreed to write to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) seeking action following reports of serious collisions and near misses.

Independent Ireland councillor Danny Collins said he had been contacted by a couple involved in a serious crash in Kerry earlier this month. 

He said a woman had to be cut from the car and both occupants required hospital treatment. 

Mr Collins said deer were an increasingly common sight on roads and the problem appeared to be getting worse each year.

Fianna Fáil councillor George Gill described a near miss while driving the previous week, when a deer jumped out in front of his vehicle. 

He said he had seen several deer this year in an area where they would not traditionally have been common.

Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington supported the call for further culling.

He said the council had written to the NPWS about the issue last year.

“We can’t wait for somebody to get killed before we do something about it,” he said.

Mr Harrington said the danger was no longer confined to a handful of locations and deer appeared less deterred by traffic.

Fine Gael councillor Caroline Cronin called for deer warning signs on the N71 at Newcourt. She said residents had repeatedly raised the issue and asked why signs could not be installed on both approaches to the bend.

Director of services for roads and transportation Pádraig Barrett said requests for deer signs had been received from numerous areas across Co Cork. 

He said the council was discussing deer movement patterns with the NPWS to identify where signs were needed. 

Mr Barrett cautioned putting signs everywhere they had been requested could reduce their effectiveness.

Councillors said warning signs alone would not resolve the wider problem, with deer appearing in new locations and causing damage to vehicles as well as putting road users at risk.

This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme