Philippine spotted Deer

Facts

IUCN ENDANGERED (EN)

Facts about this animal

With a head-body length of up to 130 cm and a shoulder height of 60 to 80 cm, the Philippine spotted deer is one of the smaller deer species. It has a crouched build, is rather short-legged, and its tail is short, 8 to 13 cm long, with a white to yellowish underside. Adults weigh 40 to 60 kg.

Characteristic for the species is the fine, soft, and dense fur with many large rounded spots which are scattered over the dark brown flanks. The under parts are paler. There is a white patch on the chin, and the insides of the ears are also white. The eyes are ringed with paler coloured fur.

The males have short, stout and rugose antlers, growing from short bony pedicles (about 4.5 cm long), which have a small brow tine.

The Philippine spotted deer is found in forests, preferring areas where natural disturbances such as fires or landslides opened the forest canopy and allowed young plants to grow in the clearing. It was formerly found from sea level to the mountaintops.

The Philippine spotted deer was recognised as a distinct species as late as 1983. Before it was considered a subspecies of the sambar (Cervus unicolor), although some authors reported it as a subspecies of Cervus mariannus.

Did you know?
that all Philippine spotted deer you can see in zoos are the property of the Philippine Government?

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	ARTIODACTYLA
Suborder	RUMINANTIA
Family	CERVIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Rusa alfredi
Name (English)	Philippine spotted Deer
Name (French)	Cerf du Prince Alfred
Name (German)	Prinz-Alfred-Hirsch
Name (Spanish)	Ciervo moteado filipino
CITES Status	Not listed
CMS Status	Not listed

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Altaipanther

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Philippines (Negros and Panay)
Habitat	In primary forest and second growth
Wild population	Approx. 2,500 mature individuals and decreasing (IUCN Red List 2011)
Zoo population	56 reported to ISIS

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

Hard antlers should be removed before transport under proper restraint and, where required, sedation. No deer with antlers in velvet at a stage of growth which could be damaged easily should be transported where there is a risk of injury.

For air transport, Container Note 73 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations, should be followed.

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Wikipedia

Why do zoos keep this animal

Philippine spotted deer are highly endangered, therefore zoos keep them for the purposes of conservation breeding programmes. These ex situ programmes are linked to zoo conservation activities on Negros and Panay, the two Philippine islands where the deer is still found in small numbers in the wild.

How this animal should be kept

Philippine spotted deer should be kept in small social groups of one adult male and several females with their offspring. Temporary separation of sexes and keeping in bachelor groups is also possible. For up to five adult animals an outdoor enclosure of at least 500 m² is required, which should be enlarged by 50 m² for each additional adult. The enclosure should be well structured by logs, heaps of branches, rocks, bushes, or trees, allowing the deer to withdraw and hide from each other. A mud bath should be available. Branches should be made available for antler rubbing (removal of velvet). Frequently used areas, e.g. at the entrance to the stables, should be paved. The soil should be well drained.

Enclosures with non-drained soil and grass cover offer at least 1000 m² per adult animal. A heatable stable should be available as a protection from inclement weather or for providing shadow. The stable should be of suitable size to accommodate all animals, and there should be separation boxes.

Philippine spotted deer do graze and browse, feeding on grass, leaves, shoots, flowers, twigs etc. The diet should therefore consist of good quality hay ad lib., fresh browse (winter: leafless; summer: with leaves), dried browse (in winter, e.g.chestnut leaves), fresh lucerne/grass mixture (only summer), pellets especially for browsers, crushed oats, bran, fruit, and vegetables.