British red deer could disappear from countryside forever as Asian competitor takes over

The study, published in the journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence, revealed that sika deer are outcompeting their native counterparts across Scottish woodlands, with experts warning this pattern may spread throughout the country.

Sika deer arrived in Britain during the 19th century from east Asia and possess significant advantages over red deer, being tougher, cleverer, more aggressive and louder.

The non-native species can be distinguished by their smaller heads, pointed antlers, and distinctive grey winter coats that transform to brown with white spots during summer months.

Research conducted on Scottish estates demonstrates the stark disparity between the two species' fortunes.

Sika numbers rose by 10 per cent during 2024-25, while the red deer populations fell by 22 per cent.

Data from the Tayvallich estate in Argyll illustrated this troubling trend in detail.

In 2024, surveyors counted 68 red deer and culled 24 of them, representing 35 per cent of the population.

The following year's survey recorded just 53 animals, marking a significant year-on-year reduction.

Sika deer, despite an identical culling rate of 35 per cent, removing 61 animals from a population of 175 in 2024, numbers climbed to 192 the following year.

Scientists fear that sika deer's advantageous traits, combined with culling methods that fail to distinguish between species, could push red deer towards the same fate as native red squirrels following the arrival of grey squirrels from North America.

Calum Brown, lead author of the study from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and co-chief scientist at Highlands Rewilding, said land managers were "finding equivalents locally" in deer populations with what happened to red squirrels.

"It is often mostly sika, and there are very few native deer around, and that might be something that happens more and more," he said.

"We could actually move in the wrong direction if sika gets a toehold across larger areas."

Mr Brown called for both national and local strategies to better manage deer populations, which he said are spiralling out of control across the UK.

"Sika do better in poor weather and with poor resources," he said.

"They do better on limited food, they can survive without problems at high densities that would cause issues for other species, they breed more, and when you combine that with their tolerance for poor conditions, it means the populations are growing faster than native species.

"They're then really hard to cull too, and they are a very clever species. They learn and adapt very quickly. They seem more tolerant of parasites and pathogens, and they eat a wider range of things,” he told The Telegraph.

As it stands, the Government has shelved a deer management strategy that would have transformed culling approaches in England, and no revival has been forthcoming.

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter