Muntjac Deer- The barking deer
Late at night, it sounds like someone is being murdered. The noise carries in the darkness, loud and clear but haunting and disturbing. This is the call of the muntjac deer sometimes known as the barking deer. The bark is either a call to identify their location, a challenge to intruders or a warning signal. Either way, these solitary and secretive mammals make a lot of noise when they want to.
The English population is the Reeves’s muntjac, (Muntiacus reevesi) or Chinese muntjac are all descendants of the 1925 escapees from Woburn Abbey. Muntjac deer are not native to the UK but survive happily in the wild in the UK.
Muntjac Deer facts
The male is small – about the same size as a dog with small antlers and a distinct ‘v’ shape on his face. He also had small tusks, barely visible, but there! The female is a similar size but has smaller antlers. In the summer months, they are a deep russet, but in winter they turn a dull grey. Unlike other deer, they have a small tail and a much smaller ‘white target’
These are solitary mammals, there aren’t huge herds wandering the countryside so seeing them is not always easy. To confirm their presence dropping may be seen or found. Muntjac deer droppings are small droppings measuring about 1cm by 1.3cm. They are black, rounded or cylindrical and can sometimes have a point at one or both ends.
Muntjac deer footprints are the smallest of all the deer and measure 2cm wide and about 4cm long with two ‘toes’.
Muntjac deer breeding
They are native to South Asia and the tropical climate in this part of the world means that they have developed to breed throughout the year. There is no rutting season for these docile and timid deer. However, their ability to breed throughout the year has seen a prolific growth in their population.
The males are territorial and their territory will overlap the territory of a number of females. The female will live either alone or with her kid. It is estimated that there are about 40000 muntjac deer in the UK that can breed from about 8 months old. The gestation period is about 210 days and the female can fall pregnant immediately after the arrival of her kid. The males will live for about 10 years with the females having a life span of 13 years.
Where do muntjac deer live
Muntjac deer graze in woodlands and scrubland across southern England. Their range is expanding north with some sightings in Scotland. They can be seen on Steep Holm Island where they graze the densely covered cliffs
These small deer are also different from native deer in the UK as they do not destroy crops or woodland. They do however graze and can clear the brambles and herbs on the woodland floor. This has been linked to the decline in nightingales and can impact the native bluebells, orchids and other native wildflowers. In some areas, especially conservation areas, the muntjac deer can be seen as a pest.
Conservation staus of muntjac deer
Muntjac deer are an invasive, non-native species. They are protected in the UK under the Deer Act 1991. The young can be taken by foxes, but the adults have no predators. the numbers in some parts of the south of England have reached high levels impacting negatively on the environment. As a result, culling takes place in some areas to control their numbers and the damage their over-grazing does on the habitat.
