Identification:
The Eld’s deer ( Rucervus eldii ) resembles deer in shape but is smaller. It has a long, slender head and face, with large, round ears. Males possess antlers with 4-5 tines, with the first tine projecting forward and forming an arch with the main beam just above the head. The other tines at the tip of the antler splay out like a hand with 3-4 fingers. The coat is soft, with the back being reddish-brown or yellowish-brown, and featuring two rows of pale yellow spots running along the back.
The male has sparse hair on the neck and thick, long hair on the nape that hangs down the sides of the neck. The chest, abdomen, and groin are white. The inner legs have pale white streaks running downwards. The tail is very short. Young deer have white spots on their rump, resembling stars.
Biology and Ecology:
The primary diet consists of grass, leaves, and other vegetation. The breeding season occurs in October and November. Courtship and mating occur in March and April, with a gestation period of approximately eight months. They give birth to one offspring per year. They inhabit open forests, secondary forests, and dry dipterocarp forests with relatively flat terrain at an elevation of 500-600 meters above sea level. They live in small herds of 5-10 individuals or more. They are active at night, foraging in cool, open areas near the forest until early morning. They then seek refuge in dense valleys to rest during the day.
Distribution:
Within Vietnam: Kontum, Đắk Lắk, and Lâm Đồng provinces.
Globally: Northeast India, Myanmar, China, Cambodia, and Thailand.
Value:
A valuable and rare animal, the species holds ecological value, as well as value for scientific research and for display in parks and zoos.
Conservation Status:
In Vietnam, its distribution is limited to a few forest areas, with very low numbers and a declining population due to hunting, trapping, deforestation, and forest conversion for agriculture, which are destroying their habitat. The global population of Eld’s deer is also not large.
Classification:
EN A1c,d B a,b,c C1 + 2a.
Conservation Measures:
It is listed in the Vietnam Red Book and the IUCN Red List (1996, 2000) as VU A2c, and on the list of species banned from hunting, trapping, and trading in Decree 18/HĐBT and Decree 32/2006/NĐ-CP of the Government, and the CITES Convention. Protection of this species should be strengthened in National Parks and Nature Reserves, and logging should be prohibited in areas where Eld’s deer may still be present. Furthermore, some individuals should be brought into zoos for domestication and breeding programs.