Indonesian Rusa Deer were introduced into Royal National Park in 1906 when seven deer bought for exhibition purposes were placed in a fenced peninsular called Deer Park. The deer soon escaped and spread into the national park.

The January 1994 bushfires reduced the deer population in Royal to about 150, and provided ideal conditions for NPWS to undertake a rapid cull.

A front-page sensationalist story in the Daily Telegraph days before the cull and the reaction from animal welfare supporters resulted in the then Minister for the Environment, Pam Allan, shelving the control plans. Instead, the NPWS was instructed to embark on an exhaustive research and consultation process, without any effective reduction in numbers.

Today the deer are estimated to number 2,500 in the national park, and the population extends from Grays Point in Sydney’s southern suburbs to Ulladulla on the south coast.

Fires in December 2001 that severely burnt about 60% of Royal National Park provided a second chance to control expanded deer numbers. The fires were accompanied by determined decision-making by NPWS management to assist Royal’s suffering ecology to recover.

The Royal National Park Deer Working Group, established in July 2000, was urgently convened within a week of extinguishing the fires to finalise a draft deer management plan. In the face of convincing scientific data, the group consisting of state, local government and environmental and animal welfare bodies (including NPA) unanimously agreed that the humane culling of deer herds by professional shooters could enhance the long-term welfare of Royal's ecosystems.

Research referred to in the draft shows that the deer's diet is having a major impact on native species, including rare rainforest areas.

Aerial culling, recommended by pest control experts as the most efficient and humane method of controlling the deer, was rejected by animal welfare groups and was not mentioned in the draft plan as an option. The cull is planned to begin in February, after exhibition of the draft management plan.