Bikes in fight against poachers

[Bob]

Given the standard abuse that we cause damage to the environment, good to see that bikes are being used in a positive way.

Motorcycle patrols are playing a major part in the fight against poachers who are threatening the future of deer in the Aire Valley region.

Wildlife officer Peter Britton said: "Poaching takes on quite a few forms, including the use of firearms, and illegally held firearms. The favourite round here at the moment is big running dogs and crossbows, believe it or not."

He said the deer were an important part of the Aire Valley's biodiversity, adding "If we lost any more through poaching it would be a tragedy.

"We are doing all we can to protect them, but it's a bit of a battle. We mount evening patrols to go looking for them. The motorcycle guys that cover the woodland, they're quite vigilant. Particularly good now are the police, who have off-road motorbikes.”
"If they think they have a chance of being caught, it'll stop them. And when we actually catch them, there will be prosecutions."

Mr Britton said culling was not seen as necessary in the Aire Valley owing to the relatively small deer population there.

[scumdog]

What kind of breed are these deer Bob??

Here in New Zealand they POISON deer to keep numbers down, not bull-shitting ya!

And 'poaching' is not too much of an issue!

BTW Sweet F.A. guys use cross-bows, the use of them in the UK is a result of the draconian pathetic firearms laws there.
(The use of firearms in crime in the UK has shot up by 24% since the post Dunblane firearms laws came into being, show how well tough firearms laws affect legal firearm owners eh?)

[Bob]

Roe and fallow I understand.

Sounds like it is a small herd that was only re-introduced to the area in the 1990's, so poaching is probably causing severe damage to the stocks.

[scumdog]

Roe and fallow I understand.

Sounds like it is a small herd that was only re-introduced to the area in the 1990's, so poaching is probably causing severe damage to the stocks.

Roe deer we don't have, but we DO have a fallow herd about 30 miles from here (shot a few dozen of them) on the route to the Vincent County Rally.

Another herd is near the site of the Glenorchy Rally (shot a few of them too).

There is another herd near Nelson (well two herds) and another up near Kaipara Heads near Auckland in the North Island, the only herd I know of in the North Island.

Fallow deer are different to red deer (Yeah, I know size, antlers etc etc) in that they do not spread, give red deer a hard time with heavy hunting and they scatter (the do that anyway) but fallow deer are very territorial and would likely end up being shot out before they move out.