Muntjac deer: rules on how to house them
Updated 7 May 2020
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2020
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You must keep muntjac deer in enclosures that they cannot escape from.
Enclosure walls
You must build the walls of the enclosure with solid material or fencing.
Fencing must be wire netting with a mesh size not greater than 80mm x 80mm.
The wall or fence must be at least 1.8m above ground level.
If you use fencing, the base of the fence must either be:
- buried in the ground to a depth of at least 30cm and turned outwards at the bottom at right angles for at least 15cm
- embedded in a trench 30cm deep and 15cm wide and filled with concrete or consolidated hard core or a similar solid and durable material
You must install a second fence to the same specification, or a suitable electric fence, if the enclosure is in:
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- County Durham
- Cumbria
- Devon
- East Yorkshire
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Merseyside
- Northumberland
- North Yorkshire
- Tyne and Wear
- West Yorkshire
If you use wood to build the enclosure:
- timber must be at least 12mm thick
- plywood must be at least 10mm thick
You must protect wood or other material from gnawing by adding metal sheeting or galvanised mesh. All wood must be of good quality and treated with an appropriate preservative.
Other rules
You must secure all points where materials join together and where the walls meet the floor to prevent escape.
Enclosures must have a double door system, where one door can be closed before the other is opened.
You must make sure there is nothing in the enclosure to allow deer to breach the perimeter fence.
You must keep the area next to the perimeter fence clear of undergrowth so you can spot and repair any holes before they become a problem.
You must regularly check the enclosure structure for signs of damage and carry out any repairs immediately.
You should:
- take action to control, as far as possible, any rats on the premises
- take steps to prevent rats entering the enclosure
You must immediately block rat holes or other holes through which deer could escape. You must also secure any drainage channels to prevent escape.
You must only transport muntjac deer in containers that they cannot escape from.