FOR years, people were in disbelief. They were told that they were drunk, or simply seeing things. But now there’s photographic evidence of deer living on Sherkin Island.
‘Is it true?’ people have been asking locals. There was a doubt because some of the photographs taken of a solitary deer are obscure and rather tiny, very much like Dougal’s cows in the distance.
‘Yes. It’s true,’ one islander told The Southern Star, but there’s more than the single doe, photographed at twilight. ‘There’s three,’ she said.
Some islanders believe the deer – who are naturally very good swimmers – have come across from Cunnamore.
A resident of Church Cross, which is just 7km from the pier at Cunnamore, has been photographing the herd in her area for years. But catching them on camera on Sherkin had, until now, proved elusive.
‘Before this, people would see one, but they weren’t believed,’ said the islander. ‘People would dismiss it, telling them they were drunk on their way home from the pub.’
Sherkin has always been a popular spot for tourists, but this sighting could lead to a spike in numbers, especially among nature lovers. ‘That’s if they can find them,’ said the islander. ‘They are elusive creatures and timid enough.’
Sherkin has plenty of wild spaces where they can live, far from the madding crowd.
