NATURE’S WAY SEPTEMBER 2009
SIKA DEER
Reproduced by kind permission of David Chapman
www.davidchapman.org.uk
|
|
Two years ago in September I stayed in Wareham Forest near Wareham in Dorset and visited the Poole Harbour area. I had been before so I was mentally prepared for many of the natural delights of the area including the heath at Studland, the cliff formations of Durdle Door and the red squirrels of Brownsea Island but I was quite taken aback by the number and proximity of sika deer in the Arne area.
My previous visit to the area was in 1996 and I remember being excited to see a few distant sika deer disappearing across the marshes from the RSPB reserve at Arne. Imagine my surprise at finding these deer along the road to the reserve; in the car park; along the paths; in the open fields; on the heaths and strewn across the marshes!
|
I hardly need to say that sika deer are faring very well in Britain, in fact their number is increasing steadily by about 10% per year, but this isn’t a native animal to our shores. The sika deer, Cervus nippon, originates in Japan, China, Vietnam and Taiwan and it only found its way to Britain because of a fashion amongst the landed gentry for keeping deer in parks. The first sikas were introduced into Britain in 1860 and though they were meant to be captive it wasn’t long before some of them were experiencing the freedom of our country.
One classic example of sika deer escapology occurred in Dorset. The deer were brought to Brownsea Island because it was thought that they wouldn’t try to escape an island in Poole Harbour. However, when the tide goes out it is possible for deer to paddle, wade and even swim to the mainland where they have established a thriving population.
|
|
|
Dorset isn’t the only county in which sikas can be found. They are now fairly widespread across Britain with populations in the New Forest; Northamptonshire; Bedfordshire; Lancashire (Bowland); Lundy Island (Devon); Dumfries and Galloway (Eskdalemuir Forest); The Highlands of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Unfortunately there are many different strains and subspecies of sika deer and it seems that many of those found in Britain have been cross bred; hybridisation also occurs between sika and red deer. As a result sika deer and their hybrids can be quite variable particularly since they change their coats significantly between summer and winter.
Despite being closely related to red deer the sika is actually quite a bit smaller; at only about 75cm to the shoulder the sika is intermediate in size between the roe and fallow deer but it has a distinctly chunky appearance. In summer their coat is reddish-brown with noticeable white spots but they grow a dark grey coat for winter. Around its rump the sika deer has a large white, heart-shaped patch which it fluffs out when danger looms. The stag’s antlers are similar in shape to the red deer and usually have up to four points which are fairly sharp and threatening.
Apart from the obvious difference in size between red and sika deer one other key difference is in their voice. In their home countries sika deer live in thick vegetation where they might only rarely be able to catch sight of each other so they have developed an extraordinary array of sounds to keep in contact. One of the most clearly audible calls heard throughout the year is a whistle which can carry easily for a mile; they also have a loud bark, not dissimilar to other deer, which they use as a warning of danger but during the rutting season their vocabulary increases immensely to include various moans, wails and even raspberry-blowing!
The antlers are grown for the rutting season which takes place during the autumn. For most of the year males and females live in separate herds but for the rut the males enter the ranges of the females and subsequently fight for their attention. Just as with red deer the sika stags will go through a lengthy stand-off before a fight will actually take place. This procedure consists of posturing and strutting; the final warning is often a stamping of the hoof. Only if two well-matched males are involved will a fight occur. The sharp antlers of a sika deer can cause significant damage and it is not uncommon to see injured stags in the autumn.
At Arne I found one stag that had been very much side-lined and he had a nasty wound along his flank. Being a little more approachable than some of the others I set about taking some photos of him but he soon made it abundantly clear that he didn’t appreciate my presence. Despite the injury his blood was still carrying plenty of testosterone and as he stared into my lens and stamped his hoof on the ground I took the hint just as he started to charge. Fortunately for me we were in a small patch of woodland where I could evade attack by hiding cowardly behind a tree. I think he sensed that I wasn’t up for a fight and decided to leave me alone but this encounter does highlight a serious health warning about watching deer during the rutting season.
SEEING SIKA DEER
Apart from the places mentioned in the text, where sika deer can be found in the wild, it is also possible to see them in deer parks at several locations including Knole Park, Kent; Woburn Park, Bedfordshire and Studley Royal Deer Park, Yorkshire.
Arne Nature Reserve is owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and is found along minor roads just to the south and east of Wareham have a look at the RSPB website for further detail : www.rspb.org.uk
|
