Formosan sambar (Rusa unicolor swinhoei) 1898

Formosan sambar (Rusa unicolor swinhoei) 1898

Is the Formosan sambar still extant (in range country Taiwan)?

I believe that it is indeed still extant.

TeaLovingDave said:

I believe that it is indeed still extant.

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Yes, you are correct, there are also still many Formosan sambar in Taiwanese zoos, but none outside of Taiwan anymore

Their status in the wild is VULNERABLE according to IUCN Red List. They are present in 5 main populations higher up the central mountain chain. Hunting pressure for deer at lower altitudes remains intense and it is suspected that between those 5 isolates there is not much gene flow. So, not looking at all too well!

Kifaru Bwana said:

Their status in the wild is VULNERABLE according to IUCN Red List. They are present in 5 main populations higher up the central mountain chain. Hunting pressure for deer at lower altitudes remains intense and it is suspected that between those 5 isolates there is not much gene flow. So, not looking at all too well!

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That does sound scary for the survival of this subspecies, would it be a good idea if Taiwan banned the hunting of this subspecies ?

ungulate nerd said:

That does sound scary for the survival of this subspecies, would it be a good idea if Taiwan banned the hunting of this subspecies ?

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Kifaru Bwana, do you think that maybe putting Formosan sambar on an SSP or EEP is a would also be good idea ?

In another thread, I remember you saying that bringing Corsican red deer into an EAZA collections for conservation purposes was a good idea

Deers in zoos are not very populair and even for threatened species like the Philippine deer and the Vietnamese sika it seems to be difficult to find new keepers so I guess bringing in a new ( sub ) species will take away holding space for the species already in captivity. I guess it would be better if some Taiwanese zoos would start a breeding programm for their native deer sub-species.