'Deer can scale five metres' warning as Laois fence and signs go up
A new fence and warning signs about the danger of deer have gone up on a busy Laois road, but they may not be enough, a local councillor warns.
Cllr PJ Kelly from Ballybrittas has welcomed the new deer fence and warning signs erected by Laois County Council on the R445 road between the Montague and Ballybrittas.
Formerly the Dublin road from Laois, it runs parallel to the M7 motorway.
Cllr Kelly who is also a farmer, warns however that deer may be able to jump over the fence.
"You won't know the effect until next September when rutting season begins and deer move freely again. Deer can scale four or five metres if need be. that's their nature," he said.
He spoke at the March meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District, where it was reported that the deer warning signs are now in place along the road.
With no natural predator left in Ireland, the growing deer population in Laois was culled this year, with nearly 2,000 of the wild animals shot, as part of a nationwide population cull. Read more above.