Our herd
Sika resemble a very compact version of the European red deer or
American elk. We have a small herd of one male and a female living
in the game preserve. In the wild a male would generally have a
large harem of females, defending them from other Sika males. Even
with the one pair, we still observe the male actively defending
his territory.
How they live
These are generally solitary animals. The male actively fights with
male red deer and fallow deer, particularly during breeding season.
He also exhibits standard vocalizations and mating behavior to attract
the lone female. The female will fight red deer three times her
size in competition for food. We feed them pellets once a day, supplemented
with alfalfa. They also browse the trees throughout the day and
night. In the wild a single herd may eat over 100 species of plants,
including poison ivy with no ill effects.
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