The all barking fox sized Chinese deer
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Reading through a local newspaper yesterday and saw an article headlined:
“Tiny deer cause big problems in the wild”
I checked the date on the paper, and no, it wasn’t April Fool’s Day but the introduction had red flags flying all over it… Chinese deer the size of a fox with the bark of dog?
“THERE are growing concerns that an increase in the number of a species of Chinese deer could have a negative impact on the Wicklow environment and surrounding areas.
The Chinese muntjac, which is about the size of a fox and barks like a dog, has been illegally introduced into the wild in Ireland and it’s believed that the first release may have been in south east region.
Now in order to curb the spread of the muntjac, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government have extended the hunting season for the deer.”
Seems it’s no April fool’s joke and was reported in the Irish Times last week as well (need to be a subscriber to see it). Link to the Bray People article is here with pretty much the same info.
If you are down Wicklow way any time, and spot these little blighters, the National Parks and Wildlife service would appreciate a call on (0404) 45800 with details of where and when you spotted them.
Photo above is from Wikipedia – Creative Commons Licensed image
