An indigenous species

The roe deer are 100% native to the UK, they colonized Great Britain after the ice ages, before the separation from Europe. However Ireland and a few Scottish islands for example were already detached from the mainland and therefore do not hold any native roe.

Cohabitation

Often said to be more selective with their feeding habits than other deer species, they can cohabit perfectly well with other deer such as munjac and Chinese water deer. Whom, them, tend to feed predominantly on brambles and grasses respectively. Their height advantage may also play a part in this as they can browse at a higher level and therefore access to food smaller deer cannot reach.

Diet

All deer will eat shrubs, saplings, small branches, some crops and precious flowers. These reasons are why, in plantations and woodland regeneration sectors, too many deer is detrimental. In areas where they need to share the space with other animals, roe deer tend to eat the cover, which the other need to feed as well as hide their nests and take refuge from the elements.

Deer impact and wellfare

Deer dammage trees when the males mark their territories, when they scrape off the velvet from their newly formed hard anters each year. Sometimes the fraying and scaring on the bark can result in the trees dying.

Too many deer in one area can also bring about diseases or parasite infestations, some of which can be transmitted to livestock and humans. To prevent this and for the welfare of the deer themselves, we plan a yearly cull figure to keep their numbers at a healthy, natural threshold.