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Feral deer (Cervidae: Axis axis, Dama dama, Cervus elaphus, Rusa timorensis, Rusa unicolor and Axis porcinus)

Six deer species have established wild populations. Numbers and range are growing quickly, with damage to crops, pasture, bushland and road safety.

Key facts

Type: Pest animal, mammal.

Native to: Introduced for hunting and farming.

Established in: QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, SA, WA.

Other names: Chital, Fallow deer, Red deer, Rusa deer, Sambar deer, Hog deer.

Identification

  • Size and coat vary by species, from the small hog deer to the large sambar.
  • Males grow antlers that are shed each year.
  • Signs include cloven tracks, pellet groups, browse damage, rubbed saplings and wallows.

Where it lives

Forests, woodland, farmland and peri-urban land, including south-east Queensland and the Great Dividing Range.

Why it matters

  • Browse damage to bushland, revegetation and crops.
  • Vehicle collisions.
  • Competition with livestock.

How it spreads

  • Escapes from deer farms and illegal releases.
  • Natural range expansion along corridors.

Control methods

  • Ground and aerial shooting by approved operators under codes of practice.
  • Exclusion fencing for high-value areas.
  • Coordinated landscape programs, as local control alone is quickly undone.

Site hygiene and welfare

  • Protect revegetation with tall guards or fencing.
  • Use methods set out in the national model codes of practice and standard operating procedures for the species.
  • Coordinate control with neighbours and the local government biosecurity plan, as isolated effort is quickly undone by reinvasion.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Restricted matter, categories 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Report it to Biosecurity Queensland within 24 hours; do not give it away, sell or release it into the environment; do not move it; do not keep it; do not feed it. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Prohibited dealing (wild animals). Wild or feral animals must not be kept, moved or released, other than for lawful pest control. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Declared animal. Declared animals have legal restrictions, which can cover keeping, moving, selling and releasing them, and landowners may be required to control them.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (C1, C3), some species prohibited. C1 Exclusion: to be kept out of WA, or out of the parts of WA where it is not established. Report any sighting to DPIRD. C3 Management: landholders must manage it to reduce its impact and stop it spreading. Some species must not be brought into WA (prohibited organism).
  • Tasmania: Not a declared pest. Not a declared pest or prohibited matter in Tasmania. Importing animals is still controlled by Biosecurity Tasmania.
  • Northern Territory: Not a declared pest. Not on an NT declared or prohibited list. Check with the NT Government before keeping, moving or releasing it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Declared pest. It is a declared pest throughout the ACT.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Australian Capital Territory: Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT), administered by ACT Biosecurity
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources