Anmado Island Ends Its “40-Year War with Deer” - Sika Deer to be Designated as a “Harmful Wild Animal” Due to Ecosystem Destruction and Crop Damage

- Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights commission recommends institutional improvements for handling abandoned livestock such as sika deer on Anmado Island in Jan. 2024; Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs implement follow-up measures including regulatory revisions

- Ministry of Environment promotes designation of sika deer as a harmful wild animal due to damage caused by overpopulation

- Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs proceeds with amendment of the Livestock Industry Act to establish punishment provisions for livestock abandonment

(25, April. 2025, ACRC)

In the future, deer that cause damage to agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, or disrupt residents' lives due to excessively high population density, are expected to be designated as a harmful wild animal. In addition, institutional improvement such as the establishing penalties for those who abandon livestock will also be promoted.

This is the result of active follow-up measures taken by the Ministry of Environment (ME, Minister Kim Wansup) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA, Minister Song Miryung) after the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) recommended institutional improvements for the handling of abandoned livestock in January 2024.

< Key Points of ACRC’s Recommendation for Institutional Improvement (Measures for Handling Abandoned Livestock) >

The sika deer is an introduced species from Taiwan and Japan after the 1950s for economic and entertainment purposes such as livestock farming and for exhibition. In cases such as Anmado Island*, some of the imported sika deer were abandoned by their owners and began to breed in the wild. Due to the lack of clear legal grounds to regulate them, however, there were limitations in controlling their population.

* Originally, sika deer did not inhabit Anmado Island, Yeonggwang County, Jeollanam-do. Their population rapidly increase after a livestock farmer abandoned about 10 sika deer in the mid to late 1980s, causing problems such as ecosystem disruption and damage to crops.

According to the Ministry of Environment's survey on the sika deer population, there are 937 deer on Anmado Island and 178 on Gureopdo Island. Compared to the national average population density of water deer (7.1 deer/㎢), Anmado’s density is about 23 times higher (162 animals/㎢) and about 15 times (73 animals/㎢) higher in Gureopdo Island.

Sika deer have strong reproductive capabilities and no natural predators, leading to a rapid increas in their population. They indiscriminately feed on herbaceous plants, fruits, and tree bark, causing the death of native plants and the destruction of vegetation.

In addition, they negatively impact the native ecosystem by competing for food and habitat with indigenous wildlife such as water deer, gorals, and roe deer.

In particular, on Anmado Island, not only has the plant ecosystem been destroyed, but crop damage amounting to approximately KRW 160 million over the past five years has also been confirmed.

At the same time, sika deer have been identified as major host for ticks that can transmit diseases to humans. Among 25 tick samples collected by the Ministry of Environment from islands including Anmado, Nanjido, and Gureopdo, the Rickettsia pathogen, which poses an infection risk to humans, was detected in 22 samples.

Infection with the Rickettsia pathogen can cause symptoms such as high fever, headache, and muscle pain. If treatment is delayed, it may worsen into conditions like pneumonia and potentially lead to death.

The Ministry of Environment thus plans to finalize by the end of the year the designation of sika deer as a harmful wild animal by revising the Enforcement Decree of the Wildlife Protection and Management Act.

The term of "harmful wild animal" refers to a wild animals that cause harm to human life or property and are designated by the Ministry of Environment’s decree. If damage is caused by harmful wild animals, individuals can apply for a capture permit to the local government, and capture is permitted only in limited cases where no other measures are available based on the investigation results.

Institutional improvements such as legal amendments are also being pursued to prevent problems caused by the abandonment of livestock, like the sika deer on Anmado Island. Currently, a proposed amendment to the Livestock Industry Act has been submitted to the National Assembly, stipulating that livestock farmers who abandon their animals may be subject to up to one year of imprisonment or a fine of up to KRW 10 million.

Ryu Chul Whan, chairperson of the ACRC, stated, "Problems that had been neglected due to the lack of clear regulations have now found a pathway to resolution through the Commission’s mediation and the cooperation of the two ministries. We will continue to actively mediate and coordinate unresolved issues arising from institutional blind spots to alleviate public inconvenience."