The movements of the world’s smallest deer species have been tracked by a team of researchers investigating the causes of their population decline. Eduardo Silva-Rodriguez from the University of Florida used remote camera traps to study the southern pudu living in the forests of Chile.
Their elusive nature and dense habitat makes wild pudu populations difficult to estimate. According to the International Species Information System, there are currently more than 130 living in captivity, including this mother and fawn.
The diminutive deer stand just 45cm high: here you can see a hoof print compared with a Chilean 100 peso coin, which measures 27mm in width. To learn more about their distribution in the wild, researchers set up cameras throughout the Nature Conservancy’s Valdivian coastal reserve known to be home to the deer.
Pudu live in temperate forests but the loss of this habitat is considered to be a key factor in their decline by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which lists the animals as Vulnerable. As human settlements draw closer to the forest, conservationists are concerned that the deer face mounting pressures.
The cameras captured images of dogs just five hours after pudus passed by the same area. Interviews with local dog owners confirmed that the deer were being tracked by the domestic, but free-roaming, canines. “Our study strongly suggests that dogs, in addition to killing pudus, affect their use of space,” said Mr Silva.
“The implications of this study seem straightforward: dogs should not be allowed in protected areas. However the management of the problem is complex,” said Mr Silva, explaining that dogs are owned to protect small livestock. “What we really need is to work with local people to improve the management of their dogs,” he said.
Credits: BBC Nature
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