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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Andrew Brown

Parts of Namadgi closed for two weeks due to aerial culling

Parts of the Namadgi National Park and the Bimberi Wilderness Area will be closed for two weeks while aerial culls of feral deer and pigs are carried out.

The closures will take place from May 3 until May 14 in order to ensure the safety of visitors to the area, ACT Parks and Conservation Services said.

The territory's conservator of flora and fauna Ian Walker said the aerial control measures were a way to help areas of bushland recover following the Black Summer bushfires.

"For over 15 months, our teams have been hard at work to make sure Namadgi National Park is in the strongest position for recovery following the Orroral Valley bushfire," Mr Walker said.

"Although we have made significant progress and have been able to open the park to visitors ahead of schedule, it is still in a vulnerable state."

Areas of the national park that will be closed off for two weeks due to the aerial cull. Picture: Supplied

Mr Walker said feral deer and pigs in the national park have been known to cause large amounts of damage to sections of the ecosystem.

"Feral deer in Namadgi can damage our already endangered plant and animal species due to their grazing, antler rubbing, trampling, trail creation and wallowing," he said.

"They can also affect the areas that are key to the ACT's water supply such as the Upper Cotter Catchment."

Large areas of the Namadgi National Park will still remain open to visitors while the aerial cull is taking place.

Buffer zones and signage will be in place as a warning to national park visitors.

Operations to remove feral animals in the national parks in previous years saw 156 deer and 11 pigs culled in 2019.

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