Essay Example on Native to southern and eastern China and Taiwan

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 

The Muntjac seriously harm the population of native woodland birds the deer eat most of the resources that birds need to survive The deer also have a habit of destroying niches that birds desire this leads to birds nesting less and the population declining As there are no predators to decrease the numbers of Muntjac alongside their ability to breed all year round this means they can produce offspring rapidly due to the fact they are fertile just seven days after giving birth The Muntjac are almost like aliens to the UK environment it is not built to sustain them even though they have flourished however the habitats animals and the environment they live in have not The muntjac deer are destroying native plant life such as the depleting honeysuckle food plants in which rare native White Admiral Butterfly depends on to survive which indirectly made their numbers drop drastically says Christopher lever 1994 They are also in competition with native animals such as Roe deer this breed of deer however larger than the Muntjac but have a smaller diet range and need specific environments to flourish which the Muntjac are taking over Currently in 2018 we have the highest ever recorded deer population in over 1 000 years according to Countryfile 2017 This could be due to the rapid breeding of the Muntjac deer along with The Deer Act of 1991 chapter 54 It stated that you cannot kill any deer in the UK border However the only way to reduce these numbers before they get to a critical stage such as the Muntjac making certain species of plants and animals to become extinct They must be humanely euthanized usually by culling To decrease number more rapidly the target is heavily pregnant Muntjac does this is because they are seen to be fertile and will reproduce again after their first fawn is born 

There has been other methods such as putting in place an electric fence had been up in place to limit the deer's range of land and to keep them contain in hopes to reduce their numbers which was only partially successful when referring to Christopher Lever 1994 Looking at Clout Williams invasive species management 2009 there is other ways to manage a situation like this such as hunting the Muntjac in order to remove them and place them back into their natural native environment However this method is costly and the number of Muntjac is too high for this to be successful in the long term as the ones that have not been found will reproduce and reproduce their numbers easily due to their non seasonal breeding The Muntjac is a common cause of traffic accidents on an overall spectrum deer cause over 74 000 accidents each year according to The Telegraph Nick Collins John Paul Ford Rojas 2018 This breed of deer is also very commonly mistaken for household pets such as dogs because their natural instinct when they are frightened is to attack and bark people's pets are being seriously injured when they get too close according to The BBC News 2015 Overall the Muntjac deer are a pest to the environment according to Christopher Lever 1994 they had caused damage by up to 90 when looking at the bluebells and orchids due to overgrazing As of now action is being put in place by the way of culling this unfortunately is the only way to preserve the habitats of other animals and reduce overall damage caused by the Muntjac