THE COST WAS DEER - ANGER AS RHS CULLS ROE DEER SENDING SHOTS THROUGH THE HEARTS OF THE CITY

Salford was once a place of forests of tree’s, tranquil village lanes and rolling fields. It boasted wildlife in abundances which we will most likely never see again.

Sadly, things change and the cost of what we humans call progress is often paid by the environment and wildlife which inhabits it. Every day, more of that greenery is lost to development and the price is paid by our native species who increasingly come under pressure.

In the past, our City has seen some of the worst pollution in the country due to its industrial heritage and as our population has grown we have expanded our human domain further into natures territory. 

As a result our greenbelt land has become increasingly under even more pressure at a time in which we are constantly told that we need to do all we can to prevent an impending natural disaster from global warming.

In more recent years we have seen Salford Council make a huge push to create a healthier, cleaner, greener environment and as part of that push we have been lucky enough to see the creation of an amazing dual function wetlands in Kersal which not only acts as a much needed flood defence system but also as a home to countless numbers and species of water-fowl.

Just recently City Mayor, Paul Dennett took to Twitter with great delight to show a photo of an Otter happily taking a dip in the once heavily polluted River Irwell. It shows just how far our once Dirty Old Town has come and how things have changed. That change has come via the hard work and efforts of many people.

Things have changed because the attitude of both council and people has changed.

We now have a dedicated local wildlife champion in Cadishead Councillor, Lewis Nelson, who over the years has relentlessly fought to protect the greenbelt of Salford, even when it has put him at odds at times with members of his own party members.

More recently, Eccles Councillors along with MP for Salford and Eccles, Rebecca Long-Bailey, were instrumental in stopping plans for a septic tank on a patch of land at the three sister’s nature reserve in Elsmere Park.

Salford Council and the R.A.I.D. group led by Councillor Karen Garrido, were successful in fighting Peel Land and Property through the courts, finally putting an end their plans to build homes on fields in the area which would have brought huge impacts to the local roads and schools, not to mention even more destruction of the green spaces which we love so much.

There is always far more to do but when you look back at where we have come from, the difference is staggering.

Our rivers teem with fish, our marshland plays host to both native bird species as well as those from across Europe and beyond, our local woodland home to huge populations of squirrels, rabbits and all manner of other woodland creatures.

A far cry from the dirty smoke-filled days of our industrial past.

Without a doubt, Salford is a much cleaner place to live and during the dark months of the Covid-19 pandemic they have played an equally vital role as being a place where local people can visit whilst maintaining their social distance, which has gone a long way to help maintain the mental health of many a Salford resident.

So it is understandable that when it was recently revealed that the RHS Bridgewater has undertaken the culling of a number of Salford’s much coveted local deer population to limit potential damage to the plants, shrubs and tree’s on their 156 Acre site in Worsley, the local community was not too pleased to hear the news.

It is understood that Councillor Lewis Nelson and Darren Ward confronted the RHS, raising concerns over the situation, which forced their hand in making a statement about it on their social media groups.

In a release on their Facebook page, the RHS state that they could not herd, net or relocate them due to Covid-19 pandemic and the large number of people required to undertake the operation, so instead, the only other viable option was to ‘humanely’ cull what they claim to be a very small number of the animals which occupied the space outside of the deer enclosure.

The statement in full is as follows:

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Many thanks to everyone who got in touch with us today about the management of roe deer on the RHS Bridgewater site.

RHS Garden Bridgewater worked with wildlife experts to assess the impact of the local roe deer population. To limit the significant potential damage to plants, shrubs and trees, a secure deer-proof fence has been installed around the perimeter of the garden and an internal fence has been erected to create a large deer enclosure in the North East quadrant of the site.

A small population of deer remain within the deer enclosure and there is a plan to safely relocate them at a future date to another location. However, a very small number of deer have occupied the space outside the deer enclosure and due to the current COVID-19 restrictions it was not possible to herd, net and relocate them due to the large number of people required for such an exercise. Professional advice was sought, and sadly humane culling was the only viable option to control this small group. This was completed in as humane a way as possible by a fully accredited veterinary surgeon and consultant in the health, welfare and management of deer, licenced through Natural England, during the statutory open season for roe deer.

We were really sorry to have to make this difficult decision, but we understand that proactive herd management, including humane culling by rifle, is essential to maintain healthy herd sizes. Roe deer are not a protected species and without any natural predators their population has dramatically increased in recent years; reaching levels where they seriously threaten the habitats other species depend on, causing damage to the health and resilience of gardens and woodlands and placing additional pressure on the health of existing herds.

 

The statement was met with unprecedented condemnation by commenters to their Facebook page, with many pledging never to visit the RHS site when it opens its doors in 2021, others calling for protests with banners outside when they open.

Within half an hour, a petition was set up which has already gained over 2100 signatures at the time of writing.

Petition · Salford City Council, RHS, RSPCA, : Stop the RHS Bridgewater from further culling of roe deer at their site · Change.org

Local councillors joined in by venting their own anger at what had happened.

Walkden South Councillor, Richard Critchley posted:

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“What an awful thing to do.

“Blaming COVID-19 seems like a poor excuse.

“This should never have happened.”

 

Whilst branch secretary of Salford Unison, Stephen North said:

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“Why should these animals (who even have a local village named after them) be sacrificed for a sanitised, prettified version of nature?

“Protect our wild spaces and protect our wildlife.”

 

The cities Conservative councillors also waded in on the issue with a scathing press release condemning the culling of which they say they had no notification was to take place.

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“Following complaints by local residents that deer were being killed by the RHS, local Councillor Darren Ward visited the gardens and spoke to the General Manager Richard Green, who confirmed that culling of Roe Deer had taken place by shooting. This shooting was carried out even though he had previously confirmed in discussions in 2018 that the deer were being relocated.

“At no time were local Councillors advised of the shooting. Had they been told they would have used all their influence to prevent it from happening.

“Councillor Karen Garrido said she was appalled that these deer were killed purely to prevent them damaging plants, trees and shrubs she went on to say that surely there must be a better way of managing these prestigious gardens.

“Councillor Les Turner said that if the RHS wish to have a genuine good relationship with our communities they need to demonstrate it and killing deer is not the way to do this.

“Councillor Bob Clarke said he was astonished that our local wildlife was being decimated by a supposedly prestigious charity who have the patronage of HM The Queen who I am sure would be devastated to hear this news.

“Councillor Jillian Collinson called it a disgrace.

“Councillor Darren Ward has spent a considerable amount of time ascertaining what had happened and complaining vehemently to the RHS that this was a totally inhumane action.

“Councillor Robin Garrido is urging everyone to sign the online petition which will then be submitted to Salford Council. He went on to say that at the first opportunity he, together with his colleagues would be raising this matter with the Council to ascertain what action can be taken and how the deer and other wildlife can be better protected in the future.”

 

Salford Mayor and our Wildlife Champion Lewis Nelson, jointly issued a statement this morning.

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"It has come to our attention that RHS Bridgewater have undertaken a cull of roe deer population which had taken residence outside of the deer enclosure. This news has caused understandable distress amongst the general public - and we will be contacting RHS Bridgewater as soon as possible to clarify the situation.

"RHS Bridgewater have previously committed to safeguarding the Roe Deer population in and around their site, with physical barriers to protect the flora and fauna within the gardens, and when absolutely necessary by relocation. In this instance COVID-19 restrictions have been cited as their reason for not pursuing relocation - we will be investigating this reason with RHS Bridgewater as soon as possible.

"In Salford, we see wildlife as our neighbours. We see it as our shared duty to coexist with our wildlife, and we are proud to have such diverse and breath-taking creatures in all corners of Salford. From the recently spotted otter in the Irwell, to birds of prey in Broughton, to the roe deer that can be seen in their majestic and shy beauty in Worsley. This Council has poured huge amounts of investment into our green spaces and green infrastructure over the past few years - and bringing wildlife back to our once industrial city has been no small part of our objective.

"The RHS Gardens have the potential to hugely increase the biodiversity of this city - but the existing populations of wildlife must always be respected."

 

Our city is heavily populated, and yes it is true that it still has its problems and there is much more to do, the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework has both councillors and public divided over its impact, but one thing is blatantly clear, in Salford we cherish what wildlife we have.

Our own Salford Online Facebook page is evident of that as each day our members help us to showcase it and in these times of pandemics and social distancing it has never been appreciated more.

From videos of friendly foxes playing with dogs in back gardens, to photos of Bartons now native colourful green Parakeets, to the bushy tailed Squirrels that live in the trees throughout our city. Wildlife has a home in Salford and it deserves to be protected.

Our group and countless others are filled daily with Salford’s much-loved nature, we surround ourselves with it whenever we can, and although some of us have gardens of our own, it is surrounded by nature and the wild things that we feel at our best.

For the RHS these deer shootings may have been seen as a solution but for many in Salford that solution was unpalatable.

Some on social media have stated that culling in this way is part of population control and the RHS itself states that it has been done to protect the plants and fauna, but it should be remembered that those deer have lived peacefully on the site they now occupy for centuries with the name of their species embedded in the name of the area known as Roe Green.

Salford is an urban city and our local council and rangers have done an amazing job of helping to reinstate a little of that nature for us all to enjoy.

As one Facebook commenter said, "Why are they destroying our native wildlife and an established eco system to make way for a fabricated pay to view fake version of nature filled with none native plant species?"

Floods of similar comments filled social media condemning the actions, with countless commenters pledging to boycott the gardens before it ever opens its doors to the public.

These deer are a reminder that the true natural beauty of our City still clings on, a hark to its past and a symbol of its rise as a green and pleasant place to live once more.

And so, the reaction from a nature loving public was predictable, they felt like a shot had been fired at them too and they are now responding in that unique way that Salfordians do when they come under fire. They stand up, dust themselves off and fight back harder.

If the RHS learns one lesson from this it should be, never underestimate the collective power of the people of Salford, they can make you and just as easily break you should they feel the need.

As part of the opening of the RHS, salford.media was planning on running a series of features to welcome the RHS into Salford and to showcase the site, however, under the current circumstances we feel that in all good faith we can no longer do that. 

Additionally we have removed any previous promotional materials and articles from our pages in protest.

Instead, we have decided that in the coming weeks we intend to run a series of short videos and articles to showcase the true natural beauty of our City, from its urban landscapes to its parks and woodlands.

A FREE gift of nature to us all to get out and explore.

The deer and other wildlife in Salford can not speak but whilst we can use our voices, we will speak for them.