Chital (Spotted Deer): Features, Population, Distribution, and Conservation Status

Context

Recently,  the Andaman and Nicobar Forest Department is considering moving about 500 Chital  deer to a Biological Park in Port Blair.

Chital (Spotted Deer) – Background

• Hunting of Chitals by Britishers: The British imported Chital (Spotted deer) to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the early 1900s for hunting.
• Increase in Chital Population: The Chital multiplied in an uncontrolled habitat and, in the lack of strong predators, had become a headache for authorities.
• Reason for relocation: To deal with the invasive species, the government has been looking for options, such as rehabilitating or relocating the chital.
• Authority to Relocate: Under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, a Chief Wildlife Warden may sanction relocation for scientific management.
  • The law requires that such translocations cause little pain to animals.

About Chital (Spotted Deer)

• Native Species: The chital, also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species indigenous to the Indian subcontinent.
• Origins: Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben
• Biological Features: It is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females, and antlers are exclusively found on males.
• Population Estimation: According to the IUCN, the Axis deer is found throughout its range, although no overall population estimate is given. 
  • However, the IUCN Red List classifies the Axis deer as Least Concern (LC).

Distribution of Chitals:

• Concentration of Population: The majority of the Axis deer population lives in India’s jungles.
• Major Areas of Distribution: They are mostly distributed in Sri Lanka and India, but they have also been introduced in the United States and Australia.
• Type of Habitation: They reside in deep forests and forested valleys, but they also favor wide grasslands, savannas, and plantations.

Ecological Niche:

• Significance in the Ecosystem: These creatures play a vital role in the ecosystem that surrounds them. Furthermore, as herbivores, they can be considered primary consumers.
• Help in Maintaining Food Chain: On the other hand, they become food for local predators. Because Axis deer eat plants, they keep green plants under control in some forests.
• Impact of Chitals on the Ecosystem: Without deer in the environment, some plants may overpopulate, while the population of certain animal species that rely on deer for food may decline.

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