A senior councillor in Aberdeen has defended the local authority’s deer management policy after a petition calling for a halt to the practice was debated at the town house yesterday.
Campaigners took up their case with the council’s public petitions committee, which was set up to give citizens a greater voice in the decision-making process.
It was only the second time that the members have actually had anything to discuss in more than a year, however, with an apparent lack of interest in pursuing issues at a local level.
The controversial practice of culling deer within the city boundaries was met with an outcry from animal lovers in 2012, when about 23 were killed at Tullos Hill in the space of a month, according to the authority’s own figures.
Forestry experts said at the time that the deer population in the area was too large and had to be brought down to a manageable level.
Yesterday, local campaigner Suzanne Kelly made her case before councillors for the practice to be stopped altogether, while also raising a number of issues around alleged poaching and the need for more warning signs for motorists.
Speaking afterwards, committee convener Alan Donnelly said a review of deer management practices was already being carried out, and that the campaigners concerns would be taken on board as part of that process.
A report is due back to the communities, housing and infrastructure committee in October which would estimate the population as a snapshot and provide information on habitat and deer welfare, he added.
Mr Donnelly, a Scottish Conservative, said: “This council has one of the best deer management plans in the country, something that other councils benchmark against.
“We already have a review underway, and we will look at the issues raised as part of that.
“It was claimed today that four or five deer were allowed to starve and that 35 had been shot. There were also unsubstantiated claims about poaching, but we have agreed to continue working with Police Scotland on that. It is really an operational matter for them.
“The petitioner had her say, and she is welcome to make a deputation again in October.”
The deer cull petition had been several months in the works, with two previous attempts to get onto the agenda rejected due to a lack of support.
Under committee rules, 250 signatures must be collected before a petition can be heard.
An application backed by 10 local businesses would also be considered.