Thousands of deer may be shot to preserve Dutch dunes

Thousands of fallow deer in the Amsterdam Waterleiding dunes near Zandvoort may be shot in an effort to preserve biodiversity in the region, the court ruled in a case brought by Fauna Protection, NOS reports.

The court decided that the population can be reduced from 3,000 to 800. Hunting can start immediately and 50 deer may be shot a week until April 1st. After that hinting will be closed until November 1st.

The Noord-Holland provincial council agreed that the deer need to be killed off because they damage crops, cause traffic incidents and have an adverse effect on the biodiversity in the region.