Feral sambar deer likely brought to SA for hunting purposes, Invasive Species Council says
The sambar deer is one of Australia's largest feral deer species and can weigh up to 300 kilograms. (Supplied: Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board)
In short:
One of Australia's largest feral deer species was spotted in SA's Riverland for the first time in early June.
South Australia's Department of Primary Industries says an illegal release cannot be ruled out.
What's next?
The SA government has committed an additional $1.5 million to keep its Feral Deer Eradication Program running for another year.
The Invasive Species Council says it is likely that a feral deer species was transported across state lines into South Australia for hunting purposes, but a hunting advocate rejects the allegation.
Monitoring trail cameras detected a feral sambar deer in an orchard near Loxton North, about 250 kilometres north-east of Adelaide.
The animal is one of Australia's largest feral deer species and weighs up to 300 kilograms.
The Riverland Murraylands Landscape Board said the deer was detected this month, the first time the species had been found in the region.
The board did not know how or why it was in the area.
Invasive Species Council senior advocate James Johnston said that while investigations by other authorities were underway, there was a history of deer being transported into SA and that was "most likely" the case with this animal.
James Johnston says he is aware of deer being brought into SA for hunting purposes in the past. (Supplied: James Johnston)
"I don't have any insider knowledge on how it would have gotten there, but it is most likely that happening," he said.
"We have heard reports of this sort of thing happening in the past down in the South East and other areas of South Australia.
"It is unfortunate that we do have some people in the community who aren't considerate of the local community's safety and the damage that these deer can do."
Eradication efforts undermined
The Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA), SA Landscape boards, SA Water, Forestry SA, Livestock SA, and the Department for Environment and Water launched a 10-year eradication plan for feral deer in 2022.
The program received $5 million of joint funding for the first four years, with an additional $1.5 million announced in February to extend it until June 2027.
To date, 32,000 feral deer have been removed through the state's eradication program, according to PIRSA.
Mr Johnston said it was disappointing that investment was being undermined.
"We are very lucky in South Australia to have an eradication program in place," he said.
There are six common species of feral deer in Australia. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)
"We are going to be the first jurisdiction in the country to eradicate deer completely.
"It is really disappointing that somebody has come over the border and released one of these sambar deer for a selfish reason of wanting to go and hunt them themselves."
Hunters shocked by allegation
Conservation and Hunting Alliance of South Australia president Graham Stopp said he was "astounded" and refuted that sambar deer had been brought to the Riverland for hunting purposes.
"It is highly illegal to do that, and if they have any evidence, they should be reporting it to the police or at least to the Department of Environment," he said.
"It's totally unacceptable, and we don't condone anything like that."
Graham Stopp does not condone illegal behaviour and refutes the invasive species council's comments. (Facebook: Tasmanian Trophy Fallow Deer & Hunts)
Mr Stopp said in situations such as these, it was vital people "only deal with facts".
"I'm not saying that this hasn't happened in the past, but I think it's probably been more than 10 years since I heard something similar [which was] down in the South East," he said.
"These animals are almost as big as a horse … to put it in the back of a truck and drive it all the way to the Riverland, I think that's not realistic.
"I did live in Victoria, and the sambar deer are very prolific over there … so [it could have] roamed from along the river."
Mr Stopp said he was concerned about how such allegations could feed into pre-existing negative perceptions about the hunting community, which operates under strict controls.
"I don't know what more we have to do to show people that we're reasonable and we do the right thing," he said.
Department investigating all options
A PIRSA spokesperson said while it was not aware of any confirmed cases of feral deer being deliberately brought into South Australia for hunting purposes, an illegal release "cannot be ruled out".
"While the origin of the animal cannot be confirmed, the distances it would have had to travel make natural dispersal highly unlikely,"the spokesperson said.
PIRSA says sambar deer pose a significant threat to the environment and the agribusiness sector. (Supplied: Parks Victoria)
The department said it was not the first time a sambar deer had been sighted in recent times, with one of the species being reported near Marree in outback SA last year.
"While the origin of that animal could not be confirmed, it is considered likely to have resulted from an illegal release," the department said.
Releasing an animal carries a penalty of up to $125,000 per deer under state legislation, while penalties of up to $12,500 per deer exist for anyone who moves feral types of the species.