• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.169-173
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• 2015

The Formosan sika deer (Cervus nippon taiouanus) is an endemic subspecies in Taiwan. The original wild deer has been extinct since the late 1960s. The largest captive population is located at the Taipei Zoo. Except for infectious disease outbreaks, no systemic medical research has been reported for this subspecies. This study was conducted to analyze the medical status of the captive Formosan sika deer population, including the hematological and serum chemistry characteristics. To accomplish this, medical records for 34 Formosan sika deer from January 2003 to January 2014 were acquired and analyzed. The most common illness and cause of death was trauma, followed by gastrointestinal and respiratory disease, respectively. The hematologic and serum chemical values of healthy adults were quite different from those of sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis). This study provides a closer medical understanding of this subspecies and the results will facilitate its management.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.70-75
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• 2023

This study was conducted from October 2021 to October 2022 at Gulup island, Incheon, South Korea, to identify activity patterns of Formosan sika deer (Cervus nippon taiouanus) introduced in island areas, using camera trapping. We described the daily activity patterns of Formosan sika deer in each season by analyzing kernel density estimates of capture frequency and checked seasonal differences in daily activity patterns by analyzing the overlap coefficient between seasons. Formosan sika deers introduced to Gulup island showed a crepuscular behavior pattern only in winter and no distinct pattern from spring to fall. The crepuscular behavior pattern is typical for deers to reduce the risk of predation, and it is determined that Formosan sika deers introduced to Gulup island were affected by population control of the species by the local government in the winter. It was in contrast to the fact that human activities, such as backpacking, frequently carried out from spring to fall, did not affect the behavior of Formosan sika deers. Moreover, low winter temperatures have been shown to affect the nocturnal activities of Formosan sika deers in winter. The behavior patterns of Formosan sika deers overlapped least between summer and winter due to cold winter weather and population control. The relationship between the temporal status of Formosan sika deers and seasonal temperature confirmed in this study can be important basic ecological data for establishing control measures of Formosan sika deers introduced not only in islands but also in inland.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.573-578
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• 1994

A lymphosarcoma was diagnosed in a 4-year-old female Formosan sika deer presented with persistent reproductive failure, anorexia, depression and diarrhea. Characteristic pathological findings were infiltration of neoplastic lymphoid cells and cancer emboli in the lymph nodes, heart, lung, kidney, urinary bladder, ovary, uterus and peritoneal fat tissue.