News / dyrham park
Wild deer return to historic site
Dyrham Park has welcomed a herd of 26 fallow deer after a three year gap.
The historic National Trust site in South Gloucestershire was previously home to the wild animals until March 2021, when high levels of bovine tuberculosis proved difficult to contain. Having taken advice from experts, the decision was thus made to cull the herd.
Efforts have been ongoing since to reinstate the park’s “very essence”, as described by Dyrham Park’s general manager Tom Boden.
is needed now More than ever
“We are absolutely delighted to share the long-awaited and brilliant news that deer are back at Dyrham Park,” said Tom.
“Deer belong here. They are the very essence of the park, the name ‘Dyrham’ derives from a Saxon word meaning ‘valley of the deer’, and there’s evidence of their presence here going back hundreds of years. We’ve been working towards this moment for three years and are thrilled to have deer here again.”
Dyrham Park has welcomed a herd of 26 fallow deer after a three year gap
The team at Dyrham are now giving the animals time and space to settle into their new surroundings.
Tom added: “We know that our visitors will be just as excited as we are to hear this news and understand their desire to catch a glimpse of the new herd. We wanted to close for the shortest time possible to avoid disruption to visitors but primarily so that the deer get used to having people around.
“However, we do urge visitors not to seek out the deer and, that if they do come across them, to keep their distance so as not to startle or unsettle them in any way. They are wild animals and it’s important that we give them the time and space they need to get used to their new home and we must respect their need for calm and quiet.”
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Staff at the site have been working in partnership with specialist wildlife advisors to create an appropriate environment for the herd of fallow deer. Adaptations have been made to the park in order to facilitate the safety of the deer, including increasing the amount of shelter by planting trees and a new badger vaccination project, ensuring the protection of the deer.
In addition, the park has now recruited a full-time deer manager in order to ensure the welfare of these animals is sustained.
The return of deer to Dyrham Park has been acknowledged as essential to the site, given their long-lasting prevalence within the park’s history.
“We are absolutely delighted to share the long-awaited and brilliant news that deer are back at Dyrham Park,” said Tom Boden
All photos: James Dobson
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