Fallow deer were introduced to Britain by the Normans for deer parks. Now widespread in woodland and farmland, their welfare involves population management and road safety.
Fallow deer welfare centres on the tension between their abundance and the habitats they affect. Large herds can strip woodland understorey bare, creating both ecological damage and competitive welfare stress within the herd. In dry summers, large herds on restricted land suffer nutritional stress. Road accidents are common given their tendency to move in groups - a collision that injures one deer often involves multiple animals. Population management through humane culling, carried out by trained stalkers, is generally welfare-positive compared to the alternative of overcrowding and starvation.