The OPW says the population must be managed to keep the herd at a sustainable size and its culls are carried out in line with international best practice.
In a statement, it says if deer were not removed, food would become scarce and more animals would ultimately suffer.
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Bernie Wright, of the Animal Rights Alliance, feels there are more humane ways of managing the herd of deer at Phoenix Park:
"The deer can't win and I think we just need a whole new attitude towards animals really.
"There are contraceptives you can use which I have researched. The contraceptive issue which they use in the US can keep numbers down.
"It would be a perfectly safe way to control the deer if the numbers are really the problem."
