Up close and personal with Ashton Court’s oldest tenants

Numerous faces press against the metal fence. The park ranger steps forwards into the field shaking a bucket of feed and shouting “hey, hey”.

We strain our eyes and before long we see it, the distant flurry of fawn brown through the green grass. The deer are coming.

Red deer have been kept at Ashton Court Estate since 1392 and in their 600-year tenure, the creatures have played a number of roles.

Historically, they were kept as a symbol of wealth and to enhance the landscape, says park ranger Julian Smart.

Today, they form an important part of the ecosystem at Ashton Court. Whilst the estate is increasingly overrun by invasive Himalayan balsam, the deer park is free of the plant as the deer eat it.

As part of this year’s Festival of Nature, Ashton Court is holding deer talks for members of the public to get up close with the park’s famous herd and hear from experienced rangers about caring for the animals.

Dogs are a major issue for park rangers Mark (left) and Julian (right) – photo: James Ward

Engagement officer for Ashton Court Estate, Fay Whitfield, says the talks are a way of meeting the growing public desire to learn about the natural world. If successful, more deer talks will be run in the future.

Fay explains: “People have a keen interest in learning more about nature due to the climate crisis.

“Awareness has been raised, now people want to know how to take action.”

The deer talks are also a way to teach the public about their responsibilities in nature.

“Deer are wild animals, they are not pets,” adds Fay. “Talks are a nicer way of explaining why you need to keep to the path. It’s friendlier than putting up a sign.”

The 100-acre deer park had to be closed earlier this year due to “inappropriate behaviour” from some visitors such as straying from the marked paths and allowing dogs to run off lead.

Dogs are a major issue for Julian and fellow park ranger Mark Cox, who both lead the talk on Tuesday.

“We can get called out several times a year to deal with dog bites,” says Julian ruefully. Dogs also cause stress to the deer, especially during the birthing season.

Mark’s advice to dog owners visiting Ashton Court is to keep them on a lead in the woodlands, where they are more likely to encounter deer, and only let them run loose on open grass where you can see them.

There are 115 red deer in the park today with 40 calves expected to join them – photo: James Ward

There are currently 115 deer on the estate, with 40 calves expected to join them during this birthing season.

Mark and Julian speak fondly of the deer they look after but warn of the dangers of letting affection blind people to the risks.

“We’ve had some scary incidents,” says Julian, a ranger of 33 years. “I’ve had to run for the fence a few times.” He adds that mating season is a particularly risky time to be around the herd.

Visitors to the estate are asked not to try and feed deer as this could lead to deer becoming tame and approaching and potentially injuring people in future.

In their time, Mark and Julian have seen the estate improve thanks to better environmental standards. Today, the grass is left to grow long as a habitat for wildlife and litter bins have been removed to encourage visitors to take waste home.

With greater public awareness of the need to respect the deer, they will continue to thrive at Ashton Court for years to come.

Main photo: James Ward

Read more: Festival of Nature returns to live events this june 

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