" Bambi " has a dark side !

To most people there is no more innocent an animal than a deer. Walt Disney's legend of Bambi lives on !
To those residents of Sydney and Wollongong who live near the Royal National park the reality is rather different. The park is home to an estimated five thousand deer and in recent times they have been found in people's gardens just after daybreak - having breakfast munching on the plants.
So far there have been no fatalities. Some motorists have had the misfortune to collide with a deer on suburban streets and on the F6 motorway, but the real danger is one of aggression by a male deer during the " rutting season " when they roam far and wide looking for mates. During that time attacks on humans are likely - and a deer with antlers can be a formidable - and deadly - opponent.
The only answer seems to be a culling campaign involving professional shooters. Culling by using poison has been ruled out because baits would be eaten by other park inhabitants other than deer - and the public would not tolerate these fine animals suffering an agonising death.
Most people accept that culling is necessary but it seems that there are no plans to capitalise on this necessity. The meat of deer is a prized gourmet item called venison. It seems almost a criminal waste to painlessly destroy these magnificent animals - and then leave the carcass to rot in the national park.
With a little planning by the government department responsible the cost of the culling could be mitigated and a prized delicacy made available to the public !