Scotland’s iconic Red deer threatened by invasive ‘super Sika’

Описание: Today, our scientists, deer stalkers and foresters have published research that demonstrates Scotland's non-native Sika deer possess multiple natural advantages that make them harder to manage than Scotland's native deer. With Scotland's deer population at an all time high, posing a significant challenge for environmental restoration, the paper raises concerns that by managing all deer populations in the same way, we might inadvertently help Sika deer to outcompete our iconic native deer species, Red and Roe deer.

Lead author, Co-Chief Scientist Dr Calum Brown talks through the paper and Sika's 6 key competitive advantages:
1. More resilient to harsh winters
2. Better at surviving on scarce resources
3. More vigilant of humans - taking longer to stalk
4. Better at breeding
5. More tolerant of disease
6. Able to hybridise with Red deer.

We are asking for greater official recognition of the threats posed by non-native invasive Sika and greater resources for deer managers to support strategic control of Sika populations.

Have you noticed these challenges in managing Sika populations? Let us know, and read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.70154

#DeerManagement #InvasiveSpecies #sikadeer #reddeer
#Scotland