Rhodes authorities propose the mass killing of deer. Again.

For one more time, local authorities on the island of Rhodes have proposed the permission to deer hunting as a means to decreased the overpopulation of  the famous and unique Dama Dama species.

The municipal council was divided for one more time, drawing condemnation even from officials aligned with Deputy Mayor Thomas Sotrilis, who introduced the idea last week.

According to state broadcaster ERT, Sotrilis suggested lifting the hunting ban on Rhodes’ iconic deer, arguing that protection laws have led to a population boom and increased damage to crops and gardens.

“Deputy Mayor Sotrilis’ statement reflects only his personal views and does not represent the stance of the municipal authority,” members of the council said in a statement Saturday. “We categorically disagree. The Rhodes deer is a globally unique species and an enduring symbol of our island’s natural heritage. Its protection is a fundamental responsibility.”

Fallow deer have lived for centuries on the southeastern Aegean island, where statues of a stag and a doe stand at the entrance to its main port. While officials acknowledged the problems faced by farmers, they insisted that solutions must come through scientific consultation and sustainable measures.

“Under no circumstances can hunting be considered a solution,” the statement continued. “There has never been, nor will there ever be, any discussion about lifting the deer hunting ban.”

It was three years ago, in May 2022, when the then mayor had proposed to the Municipality Council the “controlled deer hunting” as well as a sterilization program for the animals that “now exist in large numbers,” as he claimed, even though there was no study to confirm that. The proposal triggered the outrage by environmental organization that underlined the proposal was not based on any scientific data stressing that “there would be no sustainability on the island of Rhodes by killing its symbol.”

It was only last month, in February 2025, when several deer was found to have been executed, with the hunters to not have been found yet.

It looks as if the plan of the Environment Ministry and the local government to establish deer parks has not materialized yet, since January 2024.