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Sika deer are native to islands of Japan and Taiwan.
Sika Deer were first introduced into deer parks and
private collections in the UK in 1860, from where they subsequently
escaped or were released. The colour of their coat varies but it is
generally chestnut brown and spotted in summer and almost pure grey in
winter. They have a characteristic white patch of fur, outlined in
black, beneath their short white tail. Stags have relatively simple
antlers which generally have four points on each antler. The antlers are
cast each year in April or May.
Sika deer
are mostly solitary and are most active at dusk. They seem sensitive to
human disturbance and only venture into more open areas at night. Sika
can cause damage to commercial forests when they gouge deep, vertical
grooves into the trunks of mature trees, which they do to mark their
territory.
Habitat:
Sika deer
prefer woodland with damp ground with dense undergrowth and heathland.
Status & distribution:
There are large
populations of Sika
deer in Scotland and Ireland.
There are more
localised, patchy populations of
Sika along the
south coast of England, in Hampshire and Dorset as well as in the Lake
District and Lancashire. No populations are thought to be established in
Wales.
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