TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to local residents’ complaints related to Formosan sika deer, Kenting National Park Headquarters has taken action to actively control the quickly growing deer population.
UDN reported that after 27 years of rehabilitation, the population of wild Formosan sika deer in the Kenting area has grown to nearly 2,000. While this is a sign of successful rehabilitation, locals have complained about the wild deer causing traffic accidents, damaging crops, and harming tree saplings in forests.
To address the issue, the Kenting National Park Headquarters first implemented measures such as setting up signs and fences, redirecting wild deer back to rehabilitation areas, and birth control. However, these passive solutions yielded limited effects, and thus the park began working with the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Forestry Bureau, and the Livestock Research Institute to study ways to actively reduce the deer population.
(Kenting National Park Headquarters photo)
The park has begun capturing deer where they are most densely populated and have impacted the local ecosystem, according to UDN. As the Formosan sika deer is categorized as a type of livestock, some captured deer are sent to live in captivity, while the Livestock Research Institute is exploring the possibility of developing deer-related products such as jerky.
UDN cited National Pingtung University of Science and Technology Institute of Wildlife Conservation professor Pei Jai-Chyi (裴家騏) as saying that the problem with Formosan sika deer stems from an uneven population, not overpopulation. While the number of deer in the wild continues to grow steadily, it has yet to reach a point where the animal is considered truly rehabilitated.
Additionally, authorities must be conscious of genetic diversity while capturing and relocating deer to prevent genetic pollution, Pei said.
The Formosan sika deer once populated the plains all across west Taiwan. Its hide was a highly coveted commodity in the 17th century, during which the Dutch East India Company exported massive amounts to Europe, China, and Japan.
However, overhunting and the expansion of human activity in Taiwan caused wild deer populations to dwindle over the centuries. In 1984, Kenting National Park Headquarters launched a rehabilitation program, releasing deer into the wild until 2009.
