Who killed Bambi? Aberdeen Council for Queen’s Jubilee

Animal welfare organisations condemned Aberdeen City Council after it was revealed that two-thirds of the deer roaming Tullos Hill – a landmark overlooking the city – have already been killed since 1 April.

The cull has been sanctioned to help pave the way for the local authority’s Tree for Every Citizen project.

John Robins, the campaigns consultant for welfare charity Animal Concern, said figures obtained under freedom of information legislation showed that 22 of the estimated 30 roe deer on Tullos Hill had already been killed. Eye-witnesses claimed the animals had been shot by a marksman using a rifle equipped with a silencer.

Mr Robins, who has already written to the Queen asking her to intervene in the “slaughter”, said: “This isn’t a cull – it’s a massacre. They haven’t just reduced the number of deer on the hill, they have almost wiped them out.

“These deer on Tullos Hill have been killed since 1 April when the does could be shot, and their deaths just cannot be justified.

“It’s a totally pointless exercise. Tullos Hill is an open hill which is not fenced off so these animals can move between there and other areas.

“Now that they have killed 22 of them, the deer that are left will breed more successfully and other deer will move into the area to take over the vacant territory.”

Appealing to the council to spare the remaining deer, he added: If it was necessary and there was a good reason for it, we wouldn’t oppose it, but in this instance there is absolutely no justification for it.”

Local campaigner Suzanne Kelly also condemned the scale of the cull. She said yesterday: “There is virtually no-one in this area who wants this scheme.

“To learn that 22 of the estimated 30 deer have been destroyed despite the stated wishes of the residents is positively malicious.

“We were organising a mock funeral for Saturday morning. This will still go ahead. Unfortunately, it is no longer a mock funeral. It was initially intended to raise awareness – now there is a real loss to mourn. These deer have been slaughtered for political vanity.”

A spokesman for the city council defended the cull. He said that estimates from a thermal imagining survey carried out by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) in February last year indicated that there were 29 roe deer on the site.

He said: “The guidance from SNH indicates that the number of deer that can be sustainably managed and will not cause unacceptable levels of environmental damage is eight per 100 hectares.

“The area of Tullos is about 60 hectares so the aim was to reduce resident numbers accordingly.

“It is a statutory requirement of Aberdeen City Council to manage deer on all of its land and this would be taking place on Tullos Hill whether there was a tree planting scheme or not.”