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Philippine spotted deer

Rusa alfredi

240607 NZ Philippine Spotted Deer HR BC 1
IUCN Conservation Status –
Least Concern
Extinct In The Wild
Class: Mammals
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae

Find our Philippine spotted deer in the middle of the zoo, opposite our yellow mongoose exhibit.

Philippine spotted deer or as they’re otherwise known, Alfred’s deer, inhabit the rainforests of the Visayan Islands of Panay and Negros in the Philippines.

As a herbivore, their diet consists of grasses, leaves and buds.

Interesting facts!

  • Philippine spotted deer are a nocturnal species, emerging at dusk to feed.
  • During mating season, males will spar in order to win the right to mate. After a gestation period of approximately 240 days, the female deer will give birth to a single calf who will be weaned by six months.

Conservation

Philippine spotted deer are probably the most endangered deer in the world. This is partly due to habitat destruction, but illegal hunting is also a problem for this species. Despite receiving legal protection against poaching in the wild, Philippine spotted deer are still hunted as these protections are hard to patrol and enforce. European zoos are working on a captive breeding programme for the species, but their future in the wild looks uncertain.

We have been very successful in contributing towards EAZA’s ex-situ breeding programme for this species, with a total of 10 Philippine spotted deer born here at the zoo in the last 12 years. We hope to continue our part in helping to secure the future of this species.