PROFESSIONAL shooters and helicopters will take to the sky next month as part of Victoria’s first aerial deer cull.

Parks Victoria will trial aerial shooting of deer in the Alpine National Park over a three to four-day period on weekdays between October 8 and 26. The dates have been selected to avoid busy periods in the park and will be weather-dependent.

Parks Victoria chief conservation scientist Mark Norman said the aerial cull trial was part of a three-year program to find the most efficient, cost-effective and humane methods of managing deer in the Alpine National Park.

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“Parks Victoria has an obligation to protect and conserve the delicate environment of our alpine regions, which are as unique as the Great Barrier Reef and the Amazon rainforest,” Dr Norman said.

“Deer are increasingly harming the special wildlife, plants and waterways of Victoria’s high country, as are feral horses and pigs. We have to be proactive in managing deer in the Alpine National Park and need to determine the best, most effective and humane ways of controlling them.

“This aerial deer shooting operation will provide us with critical information on control methods, as well as greater intelligence in tracking deer populations in remote areas of the park.”

Australian Deer Association spokesman Barry Howlett said the rationale behind aerial culling needed to be clear and measures clearly defined. “Our clear expectation is that there will be robust monitoring to ensure that any aerial culling is both humane and necessary,” he said.

The aerial cull will target sambar, red and fallow deer in the Mt Pinnibar, Mt Feathertop areas and west of the Mount Buffalo Rd.