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Native to southern and eastern China and Taiwan the Muntjac deer is an invasive species in the UK They were introduced to the UK in the early 20th century 1991 at Warbourn Park Bedfordshire by Duke of Bedford This is where the deer were deliberately released and where the Muntjac escaped and entered the woodlands and the environment of the UK according to The Deer Initiative Limited 2017 and Christopher Lever 1994 The Muntjac deer are the UK s smallest known deer at only 50cm tall around the same size of a UK native fox A Buck male differs slightly from the females they have upturned antlers and have a shorter life span than the females The Doe female Muntjac have no antlers just thicker tufts of hair on their head however their life span can be up to 19 years a gap of 6 years longer than the male species of their breed A common description of these deer is a small and stocky with russet brown fur according to The Deer Initiative 2017 Muntjac deer do not have a specific diet other than being herbivores they eat mainly ivy bramble and seeds ect Their wide range of foods causes problems as natural resources are being used up faster and there is less food native species who have dietary restrictions not only this but they have been known to strip bark from trees causing the destruction of other animals habitats such as birds
