| Introduction Despite their almost benign presence, wild deer in Australia suffer the stigma of having been introduced by our forebears in their efforts to recreate in a new and often inhospitable land, something of their old way of life. In the course of the many introductions which took place, were many successes -- things which find their place in our everyday lives and which we take for granted. Others had disastrous results, the impact of which could not possibly have been foreseen at the time, but now, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, should have been avoided. While it would not be true to say that there have never been any problems associated with wild deer, the 'problems' have been ones of management (or more specifically a lack of it) and are similar to those experienced with some native species such as the kangaroo and wallaby in today's changing environment. Because of the 'bad press' suffered by exotic species, and unlike most countries of the world where deer are highly regarded wildlife species, deer in Australia are unlikely to acquire wide public or media support, regardless of the fact that most members of the public are genuinely thrilled at the sight of a wild deer in the bush. If there is to be a champion for the deer then, it must be found within a special interest group -- the deerhunters. Deer hunting in Australia, as everywhere else in the world, relies upon two things, the availability of deer to hunt, and access and opportunity for the hunters. In this country we are fortunate to have six species of deer that are living successfully in the wild, but how long that will continue without proper management, is another question altogether. It would be unrealistic to expect deer to be managed at the expense of native species, however the Foundation believes that any management decisions taken regarding wild deer should be based on established fact, not on the pre-conceived belief that everything introduced is necessarily bad. Deer hunters are individuals above all else and often feel there is little or nothing they can do on their own to halt the tide of anti-hunting dogma that now invades the media and the corridors of government. They know that most of what is reported in the media and taught in the schools is untrue but feel powerless to fight against it. Even the old idea that, if hunters keep a low profile then nobody will know they are out there, has proved false. But in the hunters' ranks there are people just as smart as any anti-hunter and with a lot more dedication because their beliefs are based on fact, not emotion. All they need is the money to do what needs to be done. One hunter alone can't help but if the majority of them made a once-only contribution, there is no limit to what might be achieved. For this reason, in 1982, the ADRF introduced the concept of a Debenture Issue in which interested persons or groups could lodge funds for nominated periods. The debenture holders receive no interest on their lodgement(s) but the interest earned is used to create a fund for conservation, research or management purposes. Lodgements are for minimum terms of two years and minimum amounts of $100; there are no maximums and in some cases members or the executors of deceased estates have made their lodgements in perpetuity. Debenture lodgements are at all times covered by secure investments with a major trading bank. While it is unrealistic to expect that every one of the estimated ten thousand deer interested people in Australia might lodge $100.00 on a debenture, even 1% of those could create a capital base of $100,000 in a relatively short space of time. Land for Wildlife could take on a whole new meaning! Want to help? Please send us the following details and we will be in touch. |
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Australian Deer Research
Foundation Ltd.
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