A Yearly Insight into the Raby Deer Herd Census
In the Raby Castle parkland, where wild red and fallow deer roam amongst the picturesque backdrop, caring for our wildlife is a daily task. Each day a member of our dedicated team assesses the two herds of deer that live in our grounds. Their task is to check the animals welfare and detect any injuries. Once a year, usually in spring, we do a full herd census of all the deer and this data is paramount to the management of the park.
Given the park is a fixed area with finite resources of food we monitor the welfare of the deer to ensure that numbers do not surpass what the park is capable of carrying. While we strive to maintain the herd in a state as close to the wild as possible during the winter when grass isn’t growing, we provide supplementary feeding to the deer with carrots.
We also keep track of how many males and females there are, and how many are born each year.
In spring 2024, here’s what we found
Red Deer Herd
- Mature Red Stags | 28
- Immature Red Stags | 5
- Mature Red Hinds | 111
- Purchased (tagged) Red Hinds | 29
- Red Calves (Young stock) | 52
Total | 225
Fallow Deer Herd
- Mature Fallow Bucks | 16
- Immature Fallow Bucks | 8
- Mature Fallow Does | 162
- Fallow Fawns (Young stock) | 65
Total | 251
By knowing these numbers, we can make sure our deer stay healthy and happy in their home.
