Is the sika deer a protected animal? Understanding its protection level in one article

Summary: The sika deer, also known as the spotted deer, deer, etc., is a medium-sized deer of the genus Cervus in the family Cervidae. It usually lives at forest edges or in mountain grassland areas, and its habitat changes with the seasons. Stags are usually solitary, joining herds during the rutting and mating season. It is active at dawn and dusk, feeds on green grass and leaves, and likes to lick salt and alkali. It is mainly distributed in China, Japan and Russia. Now let us take a look at whether the sika deer is a protected animal!

The sika deer, also known as the spotted deer, deer, etc., is a medium-sized deer of the genus Cervus in the family Cervidae. It usually lives at forest edges or in mountain grassland areas, and its habitat changes with the seasons. Stags are usually solitary, joining herds during the rutting and mating season. It is active at dawn and dusk, feeds on green grass and leaves, and likes to lick salt and alkali. It is mainly distributed in China, Japan and Russia. Now let us take a look at whether the sika deer is a protected animal!

Is the sika deer a protected animal?

The sika deer is a protected animal. The wild sika deer is already a highly endangered animal in China, with a total population of fewer than 1000 individuals. It is listed as a National First-Class Protected Animal in China and as an endangered animal in China's Red Data Book of Endangered Animals. It is also listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ver 3.1, 2008——Least Concern (LC).

Can sika deer be farmed?

Yes, sika deer can be farmed. The sika deer is a National First-Class Protected Animal, and it can be raised once the conditions are met. Although private captive breeding is permitted, the forestry department has relatively strict requirements for raising conditions. The person concerned needs to apply to the forestry department for a captive breeding license; without one, the activity is likewise illegal.

Current population status of the sika deer

Historically, the sika deer was overhunted and captured, and the wild population is extremely small. The wild sika deer is already a highly endangered animal in China, with a total population of fewer than 1000 individuals. The North China subspecies and the Shanxi subspecies are already extinct; the South China subspecies has about 200 individuals along the border of Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangxi, and fewer than 100 in Guangxi; the Sichuan subspecies has about 500 individuals in northern Sichuan and southern Gansu; the Northeast subspecies may already be extinct; the Taiwan, China subspecies was originally already extinct, but later captive populations were rewilded and released, and there are now about 200 individuals. It is already extinct in South Korea and Vietnam, may already be extinct in North Korea, there are about 9000 in eastern Russia, and about 300,000 in Japan. The Japanese sika deer was once on the brink of extinction, but good protection and the extinction of the Japanese wolf led to the recovery of the population.

Habitat environment of the sika deer

The sika deer lives at forest edges and in mountain grassland areas, not in dense forests or thickets, which is conducive to running quickly. Its habitat during the day and at night differs noticeably. During the day it mostly chooses sunny hillsides with relatively deep, dense thatch grass and places where the surroundings are basically similar to its body color. At night it rests on the middle or upper-middle part of the hillside, with an uncertain slope aspect, though sunny hillsides are still the most common. The thatch grass where it rests is relatively short and sparse, so that it can detect enemies earlier and escape quickly.