Feral deer will become Australia’s next feral pig problem without prompt action, report warns

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>The invasive species has increased in spread and numbers and is costing farmers millions of dollars</p><ul><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>An unpublished government report on feral deer shows Australia is failing in its efforts to stop the spread of what one advocate warns could become “Australia’s next <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/nov/30/feral-pigs-queensland-rainforests-rivers-sacred-sites">feral pig</a>”.</p><p>The five years from 2020-2025 over which the national feral deer action plan was assessed covers a period in which the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/27/deer-high-visibility-jacket-british-columbia">famously elusive</a> species has increasingly encroached upon major cities, leading to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/oct/15/oh-deer-animal-seen-crossing-anzac-bridge-and-near-train-tracks-in-central-sydney">more frequent encounters</a> – including a memorable occasion in which two men in various degrees of undress were fined after becoming lost in the bush when they were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/28/buck-naked-nude-sunbathers-fleeing-deer-fined-for-breaking-sydney-lockdown">spooked by deer while nude sunbathing</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/30/australia-feral-deer-problem-report-national-action-plan">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.