The growing number of deer in Killarney National Park has "increased" both public concern and the number of telephone calls to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, urging them to purchase feed for the winter to prevent these rare animals (deer) from wandering outside the park boundaries.
It is estimated that around 2,000 Killarney red deer live within the 25,000-acre Killarney National Park and its immediate surroundings. Their foraging patterns have "exhausted" both the people living on nearby farms and, to some extent, the neighbouring forests.
Hunting restrictions introduced due to the pandemic and the drop in demand for venison have, in a sense, contributed to the growth of the deer population to unprecedented levels.