Tue, Feb 10, 2026 page3

• Overpopulation, not fences, biggest threat to deer

  BIGGER FISH TO FRY Old footage of more than a dozen dead sika deer does not reflect the biggest issue for the population near Kenting, the park administration said

  • By Tsai Tsung-hsien and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  Footage of dead sika deer circulating online is outdated, and the primary issue facing Kenting National Park is overpopulation rather than fencing, the park’s administration said on Sunday.

  Some social media posts recently alleged that ranch fencing around Sheding Village (社頂) in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) was trapping large numbers of sika deer and causing them to die slowly, and that more than 20 carcasses had been found within a 500m stretch.

  The Kenting National Park Administration said the footage was from several years ago and does not reflect current conditions.

  

  A dead sika deer is pictured trapped under netting and a fence in Pingtung County in an undated photograph.

  Photo courtesy of a member of the public

  The park’s most pressing challenge today is the ecological and traffic impacts from a rapidly growing deer population following successful restoration efforts, park officials said.

  The park administration said it contacted the original poster and determined that most of the videos were filmed years ago and the locations were unclear.

  Joint inspections conducted with the Livestock Research Institute found that the diamond-shaped wire fencing in use does not pose an entanglement risk, they said.

  The damaged nylon rope nets in the footage were largely installed years earlier by forestry authorities or farmers to protect elevated coastal forests and crops, but they have since mostly been replaced with safer wire fencing, the park administration said, adding that a comprehensive review is under way to remove any remaining old netting.

  However, a resident challenged the official account, saying he photographed a deer carcass caught in fencing as recently as Saturday last week.

  Live deer are now rarely seen near Sheding Village, while carcasses are common, he said, adding that nylon fencing installed by ranches and forestry authorities have become deadly traps.

  Many male deer get their antlers stuck in the fencing, and die slowly from hunger and fear, which is “more cruel than deaths caused by hunting,” the resident said.

  The park administration acknowledged limitations in fencing, but said overpopulation remains the core problem.

  The wild sika deer population in Kenting is estimated to exceed 3,600, far beyond the area’s ecological carrying capacity, it said.

  Unchecked growth has intensified competition among deer, increased collisions with fencing, caused extensive crop damage and destruction of rare vegetation, and led to frequent deer-related traffic accidents, posing risks to public safety, park officials said.

  Conservation remains the park’s guiding principle, but population imbalances cannot be resolved by fencing alone, they added.

  Authorities are studying control measures such as fertility control vaccines and relocating deer to managed breeding areas, while supporting communities in developing deer-watching ecotourism, the park administration said.

  Only through science-based management and upgraded fencing can Kenting balance ecological protection with the safety of residents and visitors, it added.
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