maximus otter
Well-Known Member
TURTLE doves are being pushed closer to extinction in England by invasive deer eating their hedgerow habitats.
The cute Muntjac deer, which stand 20 inches tall and are originally from Asia, have been blamed for fuelling the collapse in numbers of the bird, which have existed in England for centuries.
Natural England warned in a report that an explosion in the deer population, which also includes a rise in the number of non-native fallow deer as well as Muntjac, had contributed to a crisis for rare bird habitats.
Turtle doves are Britain’s fastest-declining bird species, with the population falling 99pc since the 1960s from around 125,000 pairs to 2,000 pairs.
The migratory species rely on dense, thorny scrub such as blackthorn and hawthorn to nest.
However, this habitat is being destroyed by deer, which eat saplings and stop woodland and scrub naturally regenerating.
David Simmonds MP, a member of the Conservative Environment Network, called for more people to eat deer meat to help address the problem.
He said: “Part of the reason for growing deer numbers is that people don’t see venison as a viable choice for dinner. The Government should amend its procurement policies so venison is served in schools and prisons.”
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maximus otter
The cute Muntjac deer, which stand 20 inches tall and are originally from Asia, have been blamed for fuelling the collapse in numbers of the bird, which have existed in England for centuries.
Natural England warned in a report that an explosion in the deer population, which also includes a rise in the number of non-native fallow deer as well as Muntjac, had contributed to a crisis for rare bird habitats.
Turtle doves are Britain’s fastest-declining bird species, with the population falling 99pc since the 1960s from around 125,000 pairs to 2,000 pairs.
The migratory species rely on dense, thorny scrub such as blackthorn and hawthorn to nest.
However, this habitat is being destroyed by deer, which eat saplings and stop woodland and scrub naturally regenerating.
David Simmonds MP, a member of the Conservative Environment Network, called for more people to eat deer meat to help address the problem.
He said: “Part of the reason for growing deer numbers is that people don’t see venison as a viable choice for dinner. The Government should amend its procurement policies so venison is served in schools and prisons.”
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maximus otter
