00:00The deer Bill Barry keeps on his rural property in eastern Victoria are well cared for.
00:09Some people get gold fever, I've got deer fever. I just love them, they're just a great
00:13animal to look at, very majestic, the stags.
00:18Wild deer are considered a pest in most of Australia, causing damage to crops, farming
00:23infrastructure and habitat, and biosecurity risks to livestock.
00:28But in Victoria eight species are protected wildlife on public land, under the Wildlife
00:34Act. Six of those species are listed as game, which
00:37means they can be killed by licensed hunters. Advocates say it's a mature approach that
00:43maintains the sustainability of hunting.
00:46If they were to be removed from the game status then they would not be subject to such regulations,
00:52the activity wouldn't be in front of everybody, you'd also lose public land access.
00:56In 2020 the state government appointed an expert panel to review the nearly 50 year
01:01old Wildlife Act, but it's yet to release the panel's report.
01:05The Wildlife Act reforms are stalled, so we'd be keen to see that process reinitiated and
01:11reinvigorated.
01:12It's the same situation in Tasmania where they are protected. Nowhere else in Australia
01:17are feral deer protected as a hunting resource rather than treated as the pest animal that
01:22they are.
01:23Deer were first introduced to Victoria in the mid-19th century. Today they cover around
01:2740% of the state, including here in Dargo and Victoria's High Country.
01:33Bill Barry has dedicated his life to deer, leading hunting safaris in Australia and New
01:39Zealand.
01:40Quite a prestigious award for taking the biggest stag for that year.
01:44He believes they should never be eradicated.
01:47It would be very degrading for the poor animals, any deer really, to go onto the vermin list,
01:53it's ridiculous.
01:54We need that status overturned, but we also need to recognise when it comes to invasive
01:59species management, there is no stroke of the pen that is going to solve this issue.
02:04It's a difficult choice with no clear answers.
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