Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 199: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of deer on the Office of Public Works lands; the number being culled; the number of deer being tested for tuberculosis and the results of the testing programme; and the measures in place to minimise or prevent road accidents as a result of deer crossing the road. [22413/07]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Office of Public Works manages two sites with wild deer herds, Doneraile Park in County Cork and the Phoenix Park in Dublin.

The wild deer herd at Doneraile currently consists of 172 animals. The last cull was carried out two years ago. An average cull would consist of about 30 animals. The question of traffic accidents involving deer is not an issue in Doneraile Park. Tuberculosis has not been identified as a problem at Doneraile.

The wild deer herd in the Phoenix Park currently consists of 570 animals. Culling is carried out annually in close consultation with the UCD School of Biological and Environmental Science, with the objective of maintaining the herd at a reasonable level from the viewpoints of both the herd and the Park environment. An average cull would consist of about 60 animals. A number of measures have been taken to reduce the risk of traffic accidents involving deer, including warning signs on the roads to indicate the presence of deer and the closure of minor roads. A study carried out on 150 deer carcasses from the Phoenix Park at the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Abbotstown, over the past four years has revealed no trace of tuberculosis in any of the animals. These results tend to suggest that no significant problem exists with tuberculosis in this deer herd.