In the Highlands of Scotland, deer often stray onto railway lines, endangering themselves and possibly causing a train derailment.

To minimise the problem, several deer leaps were installed on an experimental basis back in 2019.

The leaps provide deer, especially smaller ones such as roe deer and red deer calves, with an escape route to prevent them from being hit by trains should they inadvertently stray onto, or become trapped on the line while crossing.

Network Rail is investing almost £200k to renew and upgrade the railway boundary in the Wick area, including the routine renewal of degraded and life-expired fencing.

Fifteen deer leaps have been installed along the railway boundary on the line between Kinbrace and Forsinard in Sutherland, which is the most leaps installed in Scotland in a single area to date.

The gamekeeper at the Achentoul Estate, which borders the railway, identified the specific locations for the leaps following discussions with Network Rail.

The sites chosen were the most obvious places where deer regularly congregate and cross the railway..

Where possible, the leaps are mainly built from redundant fence materials that would otherwise be disposed of, which is sustainable re-use of life expired materials and will off-set some of the costs.

To make the leaps suitable for all deer, especially smaller ones, ground levels are changed on either side of the fence to provide the deer with a quick and safe access and exit across the railway.

It is hoped that once deer learn the easier crossing routes, which are aligned to their established routes over the railway, they will use them by preference, reducing the number of deer struck by trains on the Scottish rail network. Deer struck by trains currently account for about one-fifth of animals struck by trains on the Scottish rail network.

Jonathan Callis, Senior Asset Engineer, Network Rail, commented:

“Wild deer are an integral part of Scotland’s wildlife and ecology and occur the length and breadth of our network.

“Solutions like this allow us to reduce the risk of collisions at ‘problem locations’ where deer are known to cross our land and positively contributes overall to deer welfare.

“It will not solve the problem completely as wild deer can attempt to cross the railway anywhere and at any time, but at these hotspots, the leaps should make for a quicker, easier and safer crossing for the deer.

“Installation of these leaps promotes deer welfare across the estate, while maintaining a safe and secure railway for the public.”

Duncan Bentley, Gamekeeper of the Achentoul Estate commented:

“Deer Management is an essential part of the eco system in the area and these measures will safeguard the deer and public safety on the railway line whilst ensuring deer will still be able to move about freely and reduce the number of potential accidents to them.

“Everyone at Achentoul Estate is grateful for the cooperation and understanding shown by Network Rail in installing deer leaps on the Estate.”

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