The keeping of deer in enclosed English parkland has a long heritage.  Although many ancient parks were originally maintained for hunting purposes, in recent times it is recognized that the deer herds of the Royal Parks in London are an integral part of the parks' ecosystem, as well as being a valuable amenity and educational feature.  These parkland deer are wild animals, which are not regularly shepherded or handled; they are left to breed normally and to establish normal social behaviour. 

All deer parks have a maximum capacity of deer numbers, which must not be exceeded to avoid problems of disease and damage to the natural environment (the complex ecosystems for which Richmond Park is notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, National Nature Reserve and a European Special Area of Conservation,  being of particular importance). 

The British Deer Society and the Deer Initiative of England and Wales, who are regarded as the main welfare organizations dealing with the welfare and management of deer nationally, recognize that parkland deer numbers must be managed and that removal of some of the deer is necessary each year to keep populations at acceptable levels. 

The British Deer Society and the Deer Initiative fully endorse the humane shooting of deer as the optimum method of deer control in the Royal Parks. There are currently no realistic prospects of limiting the fertility of the deer by contraception in the Royal Parks and, in contrast to deer farms, there are no facilities to catch and re-locate the deer.  As all deer parks already have deer that breed prolifically and wild deer are increasing in numbers across England, the re-location of deer in large numbers from deer parks is not a realistic or sustainable option because the problem would just be transferred elsewhere.

It is worth stating that the standard and humaneness of the culling in the Royal Parks is scrutinized and approved each year by the nominated veterinary surgeon caring for the health and welfare of the deer. There is no sensible or realistic alternative to the current management practice of humanely culling the deer.  The personnel involved in the culling of the deer are very experienced and highly skilled marksmen.  There is no evidence that the deer herds suffer any disruption or stress because of the cull and the individuals that are selected for removal are instantly and humanely killed without experiencing any fear or distress. 

Without such planned and monitored control of the deer population, the herds would increase by some 30% annually and both the deer and the parks would suffer from overcrowding very quickly.

When deer populations build up to unnatural levels, the risks of disease and malnutrition become very great.  There are no natural predators of deer in the UK, certainly none in the parks and it would clearly be unacceptable to allow over population and starvation to become the controlling factors of the deer herds.

Rounding up, handling and transporting the deer (particularly Fallow deer) to alternative locations can result in great stress and a high risk of injury, as the deer are effectively wild and have never been selected or conditioned to being handled like cattle.  Catching a few deer by one means or another might be possible, but the losses and stresses involved with such operations are generally regarded as unacceptable on welfare grounds and limited catching would not provide a solution to the ongoing growth of the population by natural breeding.  Deer that have been moved between sites following the use of tranquillizers cannot be allowed to enter the human food chain and this precludes the direct release of deer back into the wild.