Muntjac

Although this small alien to our shores is a welcome sight in many gardens the Reeves or Chinese Muntjac deer Muntiacus reevesi is becoming a serious pest - destroying flowers, plants and all vegetation in their wake. With no natural predators here in the UK and the ability to breed twice a year Muntjac deer are having something of a population explosion in East Anglia. They are often to be found on the grass verges of roads and all too often are the victims of traffic accidents.

The deer themselves are not much larger than a Labrador, weighing in between 10-18 kgs. The Bucks (males) have short antlers and also a set of tusks – overly large canine teeth; they are often recorded to have attacked pets when cornered. Early evenings Muntjac can be seen coming out of dense vegetation to feed, also known as the ‘barking deer’ due to their vocal calls to find mates and maintain territories.

Does (female deer) can become pregnant at any time of the year and will produce a fawn every seven months – coming into season a few days after giving birth. The young fawns follow their mother around feeding on her milk for up to two months before weaning; they become independent at six months old and will become sexually mature at just eight months old.

With a life span of up around 15 years it is clear as to why Muntjac are becoming such a nuisance, being very territorial a ‘tide line’ of damage to woodland and garden plants become apparent after a short time.
Fencing:

 

Deer Species	Recommended Height of Deer Fence	Recommended Mesh Size for Deer Fence
Roe	For Roe, a fence must be a minimum of 1.2 m high for area less than 2.5ha and 1.5 m high for areas greater than 2.5 ha	Minimum mesh size should be 200 x 150 mm
Muntjac	For Muntjac, it should be a minimum of 1.5 m high.  The fence should be dug into the ground ("lapped") and firmly pegged or turfed, in much the same way as you might do for rabbit fencing.  Muntjacs are very determined and will burrow under a badly fixed fence and will jump over anything up to 1.2 m in height.	Mesh size should be a minimum of 100 x 100 mm, but for welfare reasons, a size of 75 x 75 is recommended because a Muntjac's head can become stuck in larger sizes.
Fallow	For fallow deer, the recommended height is 1.5m.	As fallow are larger - 220 x 200 mm is generally sufficient.  However, muntjac and roe are present in many areas where fallow are present, so for complete security a 75 x 75 mesh size is recommended.
Red & Sika	For Red and Sika , the recommended height is 1.8m	Recommended mesh size for both Red and Sika is 300mm x 130 mm (300 being the width between verticals)

 

Wildlife Proof Fencing is the long term solution to a Muntjac problem.