Aussie city warns residents to beware of wild DEER as huge influx of the animals sees them colliding with cars and peering into people’s houses
- Wollongong City Council has battled the influx of deer for more than a decade
- Each year between May and August more deer frequent the urban areas
- Council has already overseen the culling of more than 4,000 deer
An Australian city council has warned residents to beware of wild deer after an influx of the animals resulted in collisions with cars and reports of them roaming suburban streets.
Wollongong City Council told residents on Tuesday to be on the lookout for the pest species as their rutting season gets underway.
Every year between May and August deer move into the area from the nearby escarpment as the stags begin to compete for herd and territorial dominance.
The Wollongong City Council has once again been inundated with scores of deer who move into the urban areas between May and August each year as rutting season begins
For over a decade Wollongong City Council has battled rising deer numbers in the area. More than 4,000 of the animals have been culled but incidents involving deer and cars continue to increase
Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said residents will soon see the animals more frequently.
There are already reports of some deer peering into people's windows and roaming quiet suburban streets.
The council, in tandem with a number of local stakeholders, have spent the last decade trying to reduce the 'pest' population.
Wollongong is known as one of the most deer-impacted urban areas in the country with the number of collisions with vehicles still on the rise.
Deer-related complaints have made up more than half of all animal-related complaints submitted to the council.
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In response more than 4,000 deer have been culled since 2011 as part of a landscape management plan.
'Deer are known to be highly adaptable and will modify their behaviour to threats, this poses a very real challenge for those trying to reduce their numbers in a safe and sustainable way,' Cr Bradbery said.
'I encourage everyone who sights deer to report it using the FeralScan website.
'That way, we can get the most up to date data of their movement through to the appropriate people.’
The majority of wild deer in the Wollongong area have been identified as Rusa deer, a social species that can be found in groups of up to 40 and breed during the winter months.
Residents have encountered deer in quiet suburban streets around Wollongong in broad daylight (pictured) as the numbers in the surrounding area continue to grow
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