P
R
ED DEER are Britain’s largest land-based animals so they are
impressive at any time of year, but watching them is most
exciting in the autumn, when they undergo their annual rut.
This takes place in September, when the red deer become noisy, smelly,
aggressive and positively wonderful!
Along with the roe deer, the red deer is a native species to Britain; it
found its own way here after the last Ice Age when Britain was
connected to mainland Europe. All the other deer now found in the UK
were brought here by us and there are several which are now roaming
wild in the countryside. Of these, the longest-standing resident is the
fallow deer, which was introduced about 1000 years ago for hunting.
The sika deer is now spreading from Brownsea Island in Dorset where
it was introduced, and the diminutive muntjac, which is a more recent
introduction, is spreading quickly.
There is a long tradition of the landed gentry keeping deer in parks
so that they could hunt with some likelihood of success. This tradition
lives on today, though the hunting is more likely to be attributed to the
management of deer than a sport. Red deer are often found in deer
parks, though the commonest breed in captivity is the fallow deer.
Deer parks offer most of us the best chance of seeing these animals,
albeit in only a semi-natural state. Here they are much more
approachable since they are accustomed to people. >>
PHOTO: Younger red deer stags have
much smaller antlers and a thinner neck
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DISCOVER TOURING 35
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