Chinese Water Deer
I wouldn’t blame you for asking “Just what the hell are these weird looking critters?”
The Chinese Water Deer is a very primitive deer, it is the only species of deer in the U.K that doesn’t boasts a set of antlers, but it does have a rather impressive looking pair of tusks. These are only grown by the bucks and are used for fighting and settling territorial disputes.
It is quite common to see shredded ears on these deer from the attentions of the sharp tusks. And when I say sharp I mean it! The bottom edge is like a razor and, if they so wished, they could inflict plenty of damage. But not to worry, although these sabre-toothed deer may look like they will leap at your dog’s throat severing its neck vertebra, they never stand their ground and I have never, ever, seen one use its tusks on a dog.
The CWD is fast and agile. They run in the similar manner to a hare, with tremendous acceleration from a standing start. A fast dog is required if you wish to catch them often. What I have found with these deer is that the dog may struggle at first, the deer quills flake off at the slightest disturbance and they run in a rather peculiar manner. With experience the dog will get better and better as they unravel the style in which these deer run.
So where are they?
You would be surprised if you knew how many there are in the U.K. Many books and so-called experts have given their opinion as to how many CWD are resident, but let me tell you, they are well off the mark. There are thousands of them. The trouble in their identification lies in the fact that they are confused with both roe and Muntjac by these experts. Though for the life of me I cannot see how! Their range is spreading all the while and I predict that they will become quite common in the south of England eventually. Despite their aqueous name, please don’t be misled into thinking that they only live near water…They don’t. From the experiences I have had with these deer I find that they favour arable farmland over and above any other type of habitat. I could go on and on about these little deer and probably bore the pants off you all, so I won’t bother, but they are a fascinating deer and fast becoming a favourite of mine.