Petition seeks to stop Lochinver deer cull proposal
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A Lochinver shop manager has launched a petition in protest at a suggested cull of deer which habitually stray into the port and wander freely round the streets.
Angela Pirie, who works at Inverpark Stores, says she has already collected a large number of signatures.
She made the move after a survey of local residents by Assynt Community Council revealed the majority to be in favour of a deer cull.
However the survey has been criticised as ‘badly worded’ and lacking choice with householders asked to vote either for or against a cull and no other options presented.
Assynt Community Council has been holding crisis talks for months now over the issue, which is thought to have been caused by existing deer fences being cut in place by walkers because not enough styles or gates are in place.
It is claimed that wandering stags in particular are becoming increasingly aggressive and that cars have been damaged and gardens trashed as well as people chased.
Health and safety concerns have also been raised with deer fouling pavements and the local play park. It is also claimed there is a risk from ticks carried by the animals.
But Ms Pirie said the numbers of deer straying into the village were low and that the animals were “friendly”.
She said: “We’ve got used to them and they are a tourist attraction. They walk by the shop and do no harm.
“It isn’t their fault that they are in the village and we have got used to them. I am not against the traditional deer culls when older animals are culled, but it isn’t fair to kill healthy yearlings and their mothers.”
She started her petition around three weeks ago and intends to leave it open for another week before sending it to the British Deer Society, which promotes deer education, research and management.
Local resident Greig Allen wrote to the Northern Times to voice his opposition to any cull.
He said: “This is simply a witch hunt set about by those who simply do not like the deer roaming, feel intimidated or have had their gardens ‘eaten’. There is justification in maintaining a deer cull in the hills and mountains but in this case it is just pure discrimination amongst an ignorant few.”
Jess Thomas, editor of the Assynt News, said it had been agreed at the start of 2019 to approach all landlords who own land around the Lochinver boundary in order to ascertain whether they would be willing to fence off their ground.
She has been trying without success to find out if these approaches have taken place and, if so, the outcome.
Ms Thomas said: "The stag season finished on Wednesday and the hind season opened on Thursday and runs through until February. This is the time which is most concerning for those of us who are trying to stop the hinds, which come into the north end of the village from being shot.
"Shots have been heard sporadically on the hills behind Inver Park over the past month or so and from that we can only assume some stags have been culled which I think was accepted by all as necessary given the danger they represent.
"However, the hinds which still have their young following them, are a different matter so we will continue to do all we can to try and stop what we consider to be the unnecessary killing of these innocent animals until hopefully a humane solution is found."
According to Assynt Community Council, out of 247 survey forms returned, 144 or 58 per cent were in favour of a cull and 75 or 30.4 per cent against.
A spokesman said: “The community council will be informing the West Sutherland Deer Management Group of the results of the survey and will be passing on all relevant comments. It will be for the deer management group to consider the way forward in this instance.”
In the meantime the community council has requested that householders do not feed or encourage deer on to their property.
