Too Many Deer Live in England's Forests
2024-11-18
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1Martin Edwards studies the shadows of the ancient forest from a high seat and waits.
2Sitting still, he watches with his special camera.
3Then, Edwards aims and fires his rifle.
4He has killed a male deer, or buck.
5It was one of many wild deer found in this forest in Hampshire, southern England.
6Edwards supports controlling the deer population with a method called humane deer management.
7The idea is to make sure the animals do not become too numerous for the forests and farmland in a country where deer no longer have natural predators.
8A predator is an animal that catches and kills other animals for food.
9There are now more deer in England than at any other time in the last 1,000 years, says the Forestry Commission, the government department looking after England's public forests.
10An estimated 2 million deer now live in the country.
11The high deer numbers have had a big effect on the environment, officials say.
12Deer have damaged large areas of woodland, including young trees, as well as the living areas of some birds like robins.
13Some landowners have lost large amounts of crops to deer.
14And overpopulation means that the animals are more likely to suffer from starvation and disease.
15Forestry experts and businesses argue that killing the deer - and supplying the meat to consumers - is a good idea.
16The reduced deer population can bring back balance to the environment and provide a low-fat, sustainable protein.
17Deer meat is called venison.
18It is a red meat similar to lean beef but with a stronger flavor.
19Although many in Britain see venison as a high-end food, one support group sees it as a good protein for those who do not have enough money to buy other meats.
20"Why not utilize that fantastic meat to feed people in need?" said SJ Hunt of The Country Food Trust.
21The group gives meals made with wild venison to food banks.
22The government says native wild deer play a role in healthy forest environments.
23Still, the government admits that the deer population needs controlling.
24But experts like Edwards, a spokesman for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, believe killing them for meat is the only effective choice.
25The deer population increased greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
26Hunters, like everyone else, stayed home and the restaurant market - the main source for venison sales in Britain - disappeared overnight.
27"There were no sales of venison and the price was absolutely on the floor," said Ben Rigby, a leading venison and game meats seller.
28"The deer had a chance to breed massively."
29Rigby's company now processes hundreds of deer a week.
30The business sends venison or steaks to restaurants and food markets.
31One difficulty, Rigby said, is growing people's taste for venison.
32This is especially important after Brexit put new barriers up for exporting the meat.
33In England, shooting deer is legal under some restrictions.
34Hunters must have a permit, use certain kinds of firearms and observe open seasons.
35They also need an acceptable or valid reason, such as when a landowner permits them to kill the deer when their land is damaged.
36Hunting deer with groups of dogs is illegal.
37Making wild venison more widely available in food stores and beyond will bring out more hunters and ensure the meat does not go to waste, Edwards said.
38Forestry England, which controls public forests, is part of the effort to increase venison use.
39In recent years, it supplied some hospitals with 1,000 kg of wild venison to use for food.
40The approach appears to have been well received.
41However, it has gotten some criticism from animal welfare group PETA.
42PETA supports veganism - the practice of not eating or using animal products.
43SJ Hunt of The Country Food Trust said it is possible to do much more with the meat.
44Her organization provided hundreds of thousands of venison meals to food banks last year - and people are hungry for more, she said.
45She described the meat as nutritious and "free-range to the purest form of that definition."
46I'm John Russell.
1Martin Edwards studies the shadows of the ancient forest from a high seat and waits. Sitting still, he watches with his special camera. 2Then, Edwards aims and fires his rifle. 3He has killed a male deer, or buck. It was one of many wild deer found in this forest in Hampshire, southern England. 4Edwards supports controlling the deer population with a method called humane deer management. 5The idea is to make sure the animals do not become too numerous for the forests and farmland in a country where deer no longer have natural predators. A predator is an animal that catches and kills other animals for food. 6Population 7There are now more deer in England than at any other time in the last 1,000 years, says the Forestry Commission, the government department looking after England's public forests. 8An estimated 2 million deer now live in the country. 9The high deer numbers have had a big effect on the environment, officials say. Deer have damaged large areas of woodland, including young trees, as well as the living areas of some birds like robins. Some landowners have lost large amounts of crops to deer. And overpopulation means that the animals are more likely to suffer from starvation and disease. 10Forestry experts and businesses argue that killing the deer - and supplying the meat to consumers - is a good idea. 11The reduced deer population can bring back balance to the environment and provide a low-fat, sustainable protein. 12Venison 13Deer meat is called venison. It is a red meat similar to lean beef but with a stronger flavor. 14Although many in Britain see venison as a high-end food, one support group sees it as a good protein for those who do not have enough money to buy other meats. 15"Why not utilize that fantastic meat to feed people in need?" said SJ Hunt of The Country Food Trust. The group gives meals made with wild venison to food banks. 16The government says native wild deer play a role in healthy forest environments. Still, the government admits that the deer population needs controlling. 17But experts like Edwards, a spokesman for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, believe killing them for meat is the only effective choice. 18The deer population increased greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hunters, like everyone else, stayed home and the restaurant market - the main source for venison sales in Britain - disappeared overnight. 19"There were no sales of venison and the price was absolutely on the floor," said Ben Rigby, a leading venison and game meats seller. "The deer had a chance to breed massively." 20Rigby's company now processes hundreds of deer a week. The business sends venison or steaks to restaurants and food markets. One difficulty, Rigby said, is growing people's taste for venison. This is especially important after Brexit put new barriers up for exporting the meat. 21From the forest to the table 22In England, shooting deer is legal under some restrictions. Hunters must have a permit, use certain kinds of firearms and observe open seasons. They also need an acceptable or valid reason, such as when a landowner permits them to kill the deer when their land is damaged. Hunting deer with groups of dogs is illegal. 23Making wild venison more widely available in food stores and beyond will bring out more hunters and ensure the meat does not go to waste, Edwards said. 24Forestry England, which controls public forests, is part of the effort to increase venison use. In recent years, it supplied some hospitals with 1,000 kg of wild venison to use for food. 25The approach appears to have been well received. However, it has gotten some criticism from animal welfare group PETA. PETA supports veganism - the practice of not eating or using animal products. 26SJ Hunt of The Country Food Trust said it is possible to do much more with the meat. Her organization provided hundreds of thousands of venison meals to food banks last year - and people are hungry for more, she said. 27She described the meat as nutritious and "free-range to the purest form of that definition." 28I'm John Russell. 29Sylvia Hui reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 30_________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32consumer - n. one that uses or buys goods 33sustainable - adj. used in a way that does not overly deplete natural resources 34fantastic - adj. excellent, very good 35massively -- adv. large in scope or degree