Are Deer Protected Animals? A Guide to the Protection Status of Deer

Deer are antlered ruminants that vary in body size. There are about 34 species worldwide, and they are typical herbivores. So are they protected animals? What are some representative species?

Are deer protected animals?

There are many kinds of deer, and not all of them are protected animals. For example, sika deer, red deer, Eurasian moose and black muntjac are protected animals, while roe deer, reindeer and others are not protected animals.

What are some representative species of deer?

Protected species:

1. Sika deer: Sika deer are not strongly social, and stags often live alone. Their activity is concentrated in the morning and at dusk, and their living areas change with the seasons. They mainly feed on grass, fruit, herbaceous plants, tree buds, trees and crops. Their populations are mainly distributed in eastern Russia, Japan and China, and they are a national first-class protected animal in China.

2. Red deer: Red deer live in alpine forests or steppe areas. They like to live in groups. They are a northern forest-steppe type animal, but because their distribution range is relatively large, their habitats are also extremely diverse. At present, they are a national second-class protected animal.

Non-protected species:

1. Roe deer: The roe deer is a small to medium-sized deer and is the most common wild animal in the forest regions of Northeast China. The gestation period of the roe deer is about 278 days; they mate from August to September each year and give birth to fawns in June of the following year.

2. Reindeer: The reindeer, also known as the caribou, is the only species in the genus Rangifer of the deer family. Its food is mainly reindeer lichen, and it also eats horsetail, mushrooms and the tender branches and leaves of woody plants.

Although not all deer are protected animals, for the sake of ecological balance and the protection of nature, you must never hunt wild animals.