Red deer cull.

Part three.

Keeping deer numbers low on private estates is unusual as the land owners normally want high numbers of red deer for hunting. But the land on these estates is grazed like sheep by the deer. After there has been a cull on a private estate its completely transformed, it becomes a beautiful wild blossoming habitat full of heather and young trees. These young trees will grow into the caledonian forest of the future. Its a difficult decision to make for the land owner, but in the long term these habitats might become home to some of Scotland's most spectacular species. For the landscape as a whole, the highest numbered animal the red deer do need to be culled. This is for the balance of the eco-system and to benefit the red deer, even though it is a very difficult decision. Man has manipulated the landscape for so long that conservation issues like this one are hard, emotionally as a human it is hard to watch a cull but you must understand that its about a fine balance. Could indigenous predators be re-introduced? I think yes as long as it is correctly monitored, but those decisions are not for me to make. Red deer also bring lots of money into the highlands, so there is a lot of conflict between land owners. Let me know what you think.

Red deer cull.

Part one.

The caleodian forest is a lovely mix of pine, heather and all of the animals associated with it. But as beautiful as this is, something is out of balance. One animal is having a huge impact on all of the other species. The red deer. The cull is one of the most contreversal conservation issues in Britain today. Without natural predstors like wolves and bears , we humans eradicated both, deer numbers have increased dramatically in the highlands over over the last hundred years. They belong in the highlands just as much as any other animal, but humans have created an eco-system with no natural method of controlling them. Some people believe red deer population is so out of balance that it needs culling. Its an uncomfortable situation for most of us, but its a reality of whats happening in the highlands. The forestry comission of Scotland work hard to keep the deer numbers low. They believe that the red deer numbers are to high. One problem is they eat all of the heather, right down to the moss. The heather is essentail for all of the red grouse, but grazed heather is just the tip of an ecological iceberg. The caledonian forest struggles to regenerate because the deer eat all of the young saplings, its literally dieing out along with the species that live within it. This is what motivates the forestry comission to cull the deer, to help keep a fine balance within the eco-system. But the actual deer stalking is tough , sometimes it can take upto five hours to find a deer. A deer can smell a human upto one mile away if the wind is behind the humans, so blowing their scent towards the deer. The final part is to crawl amongst the heather to get close to his quarry. When the gun comes out of the bag it would really challenge me, but i know its essential for consevation. This is a a key part of a very difficult debate.

The cervidae family.

Part six the reindeer.

Around two hundred thousand years ago reindeer were numerous in Britain, the icy landscape must have resounded to the noise of thousands of clicking hooves as herds migrated between summer and winter feeding grounds. But the herds started to dwindle, maybe it was of the climate change as the climate got warmer after the ice age. The remaining reindeer lived in Scotland. Knowbody knows when the last reindeer`s died out, but their was a small colony reintroduced to the caingorms in 1952 which is believed to total around one hundred and fifty today. They were a domesticated herd from Sweden that were released by Aviemore. The reindeer`s long, sweeping antlers and large hooves are distinctive. Their coat colour varies widely, but many of the animals are greyish or brownish. Their thick winter coat is paler. In late Summer bulls grow a prominent mane of white hair that persists through the winter. Bulls are about forty eight inches (1.2 meters) at the shoulder with the cows being smaller.During the summer months the male reindeer`s (bulls) are usually solitary, they join up with the female (cows ) herds and the young animals for the September-October mating season. This is called a rut when a male reindeer will challenge rival bulls for the right to mate with as many cows as possible. The bulls will roar and scrape their hooves in the mud and thrash around in any vegetation. They will also urinate so that they can leave their scent, they will hold the cows in a harem. After the rut, the bulls separate from the herd but follow it. Cows grow antlers, the only female deer to do so. The antlers have flattened main branches and points with forward pointing branches with secondary branches. The bulls antlers are bigger than the cows. The bulls shed their antlers in Autumn or in early Winter, the cows carry theirs until Spring. In winter, therefore, the cows can use their antlers to defend feeding patches cleared for themselves and their calves. Short grasses, sedges and lichens are the reindeer's main food. In winter they use their hooves to scrape the snow away to expose the lichens, perhaps they find them by smell. In the Spring they enjoy eating willow and birch shoots.  In North America they are known as caribou, this derives from a Red Indian word meaning shoveller. Calves are born in May or June, unlike most other deer, have no spots and can walk within an hour. The calves begin to develop antler pedicles (stalks) when they are about two months old. Their antlers are fully grown after their first winter ends. Old bulls cast their antlers soon after the rut in September or October, they then grow new ones during winter. A reindeer's broad, cloven hooves are splayed to spread its weight and prevent it from sinking to deep into the snow. The hooves make a clicking sound when they walk.