The annual deer cull is being targeted by an activist group who claim Richmond Park is still a ‘deer-hunting park’.

Residents are being invited to offer ideas on how to stop the cull, at a public meeting held at the Richard Mayo Centre in Eden Street, Kingston, on June 19 at 7pm.

On a leaflet that was sent to residents, activists claim that Richmond Park makes £29,000 per year selling venison after the deer cull.

It said: “We don’t like ‘tradition’ being used as justification. It seems Richmond Park never stopped being a deer-hunting park.”

But a spokesman for the park maintained the cull was necessary to control the deer population and ensure they stay healthy.