THE REVIVAL of the native red deer herd from near-extinction in Co Kerry in recent years has been commonly cited as an example of a conservation policy success.
Forty years ago in Killarney, there were only 70 reds left: the legacy of Edwardian hunting parties.
Now between 700 and 1,500 are estimated to be in the wider Killarney area. Sika (a small Japanese deer introduced in the mid-19th century) also number in the thousands in the region.
However, efforts to ensure their preservation have begun to backfire.
Some residents and farmers in Killarney believe the species recovery programme has gone too far, with complaints arising over damage caused by the growing populations of red and sika deer.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service has taken measures to preserve ancient yew, sloe and oak woodlands, including erecting controversial "exclosure" fencing specifically to keep deer out.
The wildlife service argued that no regeneration was taking place in the woodlands because of damage caused by deer, and that many plants such as wild blueberries were displaying a "bonsai" effect, as each year they are clipped back and never reach their natural height.
Farmers' lands are also reportedly being taken over by deer. Helen O'Sullivan, who farms in Kilgarvan, several miles from Killarney, said: "You can see them now by day in places in broad daylight where you would never see them in before."
The IFA ran a campaign a few years ago to highlight the damage caused by deer but little has been done to arrest their numbers, and the deer have become "a big problem" for motorists and for farmers, she said.
Gardaí in Killarney said that in November - the rutting season - they received several reports of accidents involving deer on roads near Killarney.
Cars were damaged, running to thousands of euro in some cases, but there was no loss of life or injury.
Noel Grimes of the Irish Deer Society said it was trying to encourage the hunting of females to control numbers, but most hunters wanted the trophy stag and antlers.
The deer population had increased, he said, but there were other factors in the reds' traditional stomping grounds that were making them more visible in Kerry.
"Forestry is pushing the reds into smaller grazing areas, so it's easier to see them now. The growth of housing and clearance of trees and scrubland also means they are being squeezed out."
Mr Grimes also favours measures to ensure wild venison can be sold on the mainstream market.
Deer numbers have increased dramatically, helped by forestry which provides cover for the smaller species, and by conservation programmes.
No one knows how many deer there are in Killarney, where they stray well beyond the national park.
In fact, nobody knows exactly how many deer of any kind there are in the country, but the estimates of fallow, sika, non-native and native reds, along with the newly arrived Chinese muntjac, run to about 250,000, according to a spokesman for the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Wild deer are protected under the 1976 Wildlife Act and can only be shot under licence.
But Minister for the Environment John Gormley recently introduced a 12-month open season for the hunting of muntjac, a species introduced here illegally in recent years, to try to contain the species.
In 2005, an order was made allowing the shooting of red females under licence and outside the national park.
However, to prevent trophy hunting there is an outright ban on hunting red stags in Killarney.
Some 21,000 deer were shot in the Republic legally last year under licence but poaching also takes place, a wildlife service spokesman said.