104 deer in Killarney National Park have been culled during 2020.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage says that up to the beginning of December, 55 red deer and 49 Sika deer had been culled.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service which is responsible for the management and administration of national parks, including Killarney, is part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The NPWS says planned culls are needed to ensure deer populations don’t reach levels that would have negative ecological consequences.
Last September, it emerged there’d been a delay in issuing permits for the culling of deer due to public health restrictions and a drop in demand for venison, also related to the the pandemic.
The Department of Heritage says up to December 11th, 5,152 deer hunting licences had been issued compared to 5,815 in 2019.
The department says there’s now no delay with permits and that the backlog has been cleared.
