Originally from Asia

Chinese water deers (cwd) live naturally along the valleys, rivers, grasslands and reed beds of China and North Korea. They were imported to the UK by the 11th duke of Bedford to animate his parklands, though after the muntjac, around the beginning of the 1900's

We do not know exactly how they got outside but the parks’ fences but they live now comfortably in the wild.

An atypical appearance

Chinese water deer have an open season from 1st November to the 31st March in the UK, this allows us to avoid mistaking young bucks from milking does, as they can sometimes be hard to distinguish. This is because they have a total absence of antlers. Instead the bucks produce large canine teeth for displaying and fighting. Fortunately most territorial disputes are settled before the use of their sharp “fangs” are necessary.

Limited areas of presence

The chinese water deer are generally more passive in nature that other deer outside of their rut, but that has not stopped them thriving in our English countryside and climate.

The boundaries of their presence are ever changing and are hard to pin point exactly but there are supposedly less that half a dozen counties which hold this magnificent species, including Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

Large breeding capacity

It is said that CWD can have a littler of up to 7 kids but rarely more than two or three are commun. It is also a factor that even if they did succeed in birthing such a high number the mother would lack the milking capacity to support more than 2 or 3. It is therefore a comparable rate of growth to that of the roe deer.

They stand around 50 cm high at the shoulders and their hips are higher than their shoulders.