26 April (BNS)

The number of roe deer in Estonian forests dropped by almost half in 2010 compared with the preceding year, it appears from the results of the latest game census. The number of roe deer according to the latest census figures was 35 275, down from approximately 63 000 in 2009, the daily Eesti Päevaleht said.

The head of the game monitoring department at the Estonian Environment Board, Peep Männil, said in his remarks to the newspaper that the past winter was not as harsh on roe deer as the exceptionally cold winter of 2009/2010. "This winter we didn't have a long cold period and snow was crusted over as well, which made it possible for animals to move from place to place," Männil said.

The number of moose meanwhile has increased somewhat – from 11 000 animals in 2009 to 12 500 in 2010. Wild boars are also doing well, with their number climbing from 22 500 to 23 500.

In addition to moose, the red deer that mainly live on the western islands have succeeded in increasing their numbers. Their estimated number was 2 200 in 2008, around 2 500 in 2009, and close to 3 300 in the latest census.