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OCR for page 299
27
Muntjac
Muntjac, or barking deer (Muntiacus species), are
among the most widespread but least known of all
Asian animals.) They are almost the size of an average
dog and they bark, but they are true deer. These little
animals adapt well to captivity and have been intro-
duced to zoos and wildlife collections throughout the
world.
Jr ~
In recent years one species, the Reeves' muntjac, has become
established in England, and a few specimens have settled into semi-
captivity staying behind fences, accepting human presence, and even
eating out of people's hands. In Sarawak, villagers have also been
known to keep muntjac, feeding them a diet of rice with some leafy
matter occasionally added.2 Such experiences show that these small,
shy deer can be calm and adaptable. It also shows that they can be
raised on practical, artificial diets and that they are not strictly browsers.
This creates the possibility (admittedly highly speculative) that they
might make future microlivestock.
Muntjac produce lean, palatable venison and perhaps could be
farmed on an organized basis. They are native to severe environments
where heat, humidity, and endemic diseases make raising conventional
livestock difficult. In future, given research, muntjac might become
widespread contributors to Asian economic development. The lessons
learned in captive breeding could also be important for conserving
endangered muntjac species.
One species, the Indian muntjac, has an incredibly low chromosome
number (2n=7 in males; 2n=6 in females), which makes them partic
2 There are five species: Muntiacus muntjak (red muntjac, Javan muntjac, Indian
muntjac), M. crinifrons (black muntjac), M. reeves) (Reeves' or Chinese muntjac), M.
feae (Fee's muntjac), and M. rooseveltorum (Roosevelt's muntjac). This chapter is
based almost entirely on Reeves' muntjac, the only species that is scientifically well
known. The taxonomy of muntjacs is currently under revision.
2 Information from R. Basiuk.
299
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300
MICROLIVESTOCK
ularly promising candidates for mammalian genetic studies. This species
has regularly bred well in both zoos and research institutions.
APPEARANCE AND SIZE
Muntjac are small and slender. Reeves' muntjac, the smallest, has
a shoulder height of 45~0 cm. Fully grown, it weighs less than 20 kg;
commonly it is merely 1~12 kg. The Java subspecies of the Indian
muntjac is the biggest, with a shoulder height of 58 cm and a mature
weight of 43 kg.
Antlers on the males usually include a main prong as well as a much
shorter brow tine. Even the main prong is no larger than a finger, but
its pointed tip is hooked and must be treated with caution. There are
also two tusklike canine teeth that protrude from the mouth. These
have sharp points and a knifelike posterior edge, capable of cutting to
the bone a person's finger or another muntjac's rump.
Coloration varies from deep brown to yellowish or grayish brown
with cream or whitish markings, depending on the species.
DISTRIBUTION
Muntjac are native to a vast region from eastern China to Nepal,
India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.
Almost a century ago, Indian and Reeves' muntjac were introduced
to a deer park in southeast England. Some escaped, and (as noted)
the Reeves' muntjac has adapted, spread, and settled down to life in
the countryside.
STATUS
Of the five muntjac species, the Reeves' and the Indian are well
known and in no danger. For instance, recent estimates of annual
game production have shown that there are about 650,000 Reeves'
muntjac in China. The other three are threatened with extinction.
Black, Roosevelt's, and Fea's munjacs are virtually untried in captiv-
ity, but the success of raising Reeves' muntjac in English country
gardens suggests that perhaps their populations could be saved through
captive breeding.
HABITAT AND ENVIRONMENT
In their native habitats, these small deer are usually found in dense
vegetation on hilly ranges at elevations up to at least 3,000 m.3
3 Information from H.A. Jacobson. The species was the Indian muntjac at Langlang
National Park in Nepah
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MUNTJAC
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~
~ ~;~:~:~ :; ;: ~-~ alit ~J
Munijac
1` ea's Muntjac
Roosevelt's Muntjac
Reeve's Munijac
Black Munijac
The native ranges of the various muntjacs.
BIOLOGY
301
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O ~5
Muntjac seem to be primarily browsers. However, in captivity they
eat fresh grass, alfalfa hay, and feed pellets. They also readily eat root
crops such as potatoes, carrots, and parsnips. They are "concentrate
selectors," preferring foods low in fiber and rich in protein and
nutrients. Captive specimens reportedly need a supply of cut browse.
Breeding may occur year-round, but in practice it is synchronized
with certain seasons. The first conception can occur as early as 6
months of age. One, occasionally two, young are born after a gestation
of about 200 days. They weigh around 1 kg at birth, and the fawns
usually remain hidden until they can move about with the mother. The
females mate within a few days of giving birth. Life spans up to 16
years have been recorded.
As noted, the Indian muntjac is a species of great cytogenetic
interest. It has the lowest diploid chromosome numbers yet found in
a mammal.4 The large, easily distinguishable chromosomes are a great
4 Diploid chromosome numbers for other species are Reeves': male 46, female 46; Fea's:
female 13; black: male 9, female 8; Roosevelt's from Laos: female 8. Information from
K. Benirschke, H. Soma, S. Liming, and D. Wurster.
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MICROLIVESTOCK
advantage in tissue culture, and many laboratories now have muntjac
cell lines. The karyotypes of the different species' chromosomes are
very different; the Indian and Reeves' muntjac can hybridize, but the
offspring are infertile.
BEHAVIOR
Muntjac are dainty and have a captivating charm. Always on the
alert, they are active both day and night. Often they will bark for an
hour or more, but typically they bark for only a minute or two. When
panicked, captive muntjac may rush into fences or walls. They can
easily leap barriers 1.5 m high.
Males are highly territorial and defend their territories vigorously.
Adult females also inhabit a specific territory, which they defend
against strange individuals.
Males mark the ground at intervals by lowering the head and rubbing
the frontal glands on the ground and by scraping their hooves against
the ground. They mark trees by scraping the bark with the lower
incisors and rubbing the base of their antlers.
USES
In Asia, muntjac are hunted for meat, skins, and antlers.
HUSBANDRY
Muntjac thrive and, at least under ideal conditions, breed freely in
captivity. However, they may stop breeding if they are crowded.
In England, zoos and private collections keep as many as six muntjac
in an area of 40 x 20 m. Plenty of cover is provided for the animals to
hide in. Fences almost 2 m high are used. (Lower fences are reportedly
adequate where there is no risk of the deer being panicked by dogs or
people.)
ADVANTAGES
Like other deer, munJac produce extremely lean meat.
They seem to be healthy animals. In Britain, wild and captive
muntjac have few gastrointestinal worms, and ectoparasites such as
ticks and lice are not a problem.
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MUNTJAC
303
Mature Reeves's muntjac buck in an English woodland. (R.D. Harris and K.R. Duff).
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304
MICROLIVESTOCK
MU~TJAC
In England, far from Asia's forests and mountains, the Reeves'
muntjac is the subject of a peculiar chapter in the otherwise
unhappy history of introduced species. Charmed by the deer's
odd characteristics, the British have welcomed its invasion into
gardens around the country. flow, there are tens of thousands
of munjacs on the loose, and some people have even adopted
them as pets.
Although other alien species have wreaked havoc on native
plants and animals, munjacs appear to be a merciful exception.
At least over the short term, munjacs "have proven to be an
almost innocuous asset to the countryside. They give pleasure
to thousands and pain to few. Eating mostly ivy, grass, leaves,
and prickly bushes, they rarely feed in one place long enough
to do much damage-except to an occasional suburban gar-
den."
^i~
F. -
Oliver Dansie and one of his trusting charges from the woods behind
his backyard in Welwyn, Hertfordshire. (G. H. llarrison)
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MUNTJAC
305
Life for many muntjacs is made soft by homeowners who
find the debris large, dewy eyes and tiny antlers irresistible.
The kind-hearted suburbanites put out salt licks, water, and
kitchen scraps, and they built snug little shelters against the
cold north wind. "All our adult deer will take food from the
hand," says Walter Buckingham, who has kept muntjacs for
five years in his garden in the county of Hertfordshire, just
north of London.
The adaptable immigrant is colonizing new areas so rapidly,
say biologists, that soon there may be more in England than
in Asia. "In time," predicts muntjac-researcher Oliver Dansie
(pictured opposite), "it may eventually establish itself as our
most widely distributed deer species."
LIMITATIONS
In the wild these animals are not gregarious and are generally found
alone or in pairs. Because of their strong territorial instincts, large
males may not be able to be kept together without fighting. The upper
canine teeth can inflict serious wounds. Some females are intolerant
of each other as well.
Muntjac are fragile; they cannot be held by the legs, for example.
Some infectious diseases may prove to be of epizootic importance:
foot-and-mouth disease, mucosal disease, epizootic hemorrhagic dis-
ease, rinderpest, and tuberculosis (all three types). This may be a
problem, especially when people are raising the animals by hand.
RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION NEEDS
To ensure a better understanding of their potential as microlivestock,
muntjac deserve research and recognition from animal scientists and
conservationists from Nepal to China. The English experience shows
how populations of the endangered species might be built up. At
present, however, none are receiving any husbandry research; only
the two most common species can generally be found in zoos.
These animals deserve investigation into physiology, reproductive
requirements, fertility, nutrition (for example, food preferences, feeding
strategies, and food utilization), growth, adaptability and environmental
tolerance, diseases, management, social structure, and selection for
calm temperament.
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
muntjac species
