Attracting two million visitors per year, Bushy Park is the second largest royal park in London with 455 hectares of land.
Gifted to Henry VIII in 1529 by Cardinal Wolsey, Bushy Park was immediately established as deer hunting grounds. The park was enclosed to protect the deer from poachers and to create an ideal site for royal hunting.
Bushy park played a significant role during the second world war. In 1942, the park became the site of a large US base, Camp Griffiss and later became the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, the centre for planning the Allied invasion of north-west Europe that began with the D-Day landings, famously named Operation Overlord.
Currently, the park is home to 320 Red and Fallow deer who freely roam and graze the grasslands, which is essential for maintaining plant diversity.
In more recent years, smartphones and the popularity of social media has been blamed for the rise in people getting too close to the deer, especially in the rutting season. This is when the Red stags and Fallow bucks compete for females. Unfortunately, clashes can be so violent that the deer can die as a result of their injuries.
There has been controversy surrounding The Royals Parks’ yearly culling of deer in the park. Fully endorsed by the British Deer Society, deer populations can be actively managed to keep herds at a sustainable size. According to royalparks.org.uk, this practice is justified because “if animals were not removed, food would become scarce and more animals would ultimately suffer”.
However, this still remains wildly controversial. In 2018, ahead of the autumn cull, wildlife campaigner Jade Emery, part of the campaign group Animal Aid, said “It is horrifying to see this cruel cull continue year after year, while humane alternatives to culling deer remain unexplored by the Royal Parks”.
By Emma Barker
