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OCR for page 315
29
South America's Microdeer
South America contains three types of tiny, indigenous deer. None
are well known to science, yet they are of microlivestock size, and if
given research attention at least two might respond to rearing in
captivity.
PUDU
The pudu (pronounced "poo-doo") is native to temperate forests of
the Andean region. It is among the smallest of all true deer, adult
males being merely the size of small terriers and the females being
smaller still. It is very shy and retiring and is endangered.
All things considered, this animal would appear to be an unlikely
candidate for microlivestock. But wherever it is found, the pudu is
mercilessly hunted, and captive rearing might be the only way to save
its populations from extinction. Indeed, it is already being raised in
experimental herds in Chile and Argentina.
Pudus (also called the Andean dwarf deer) once ranged widely
through the foothills, valleys, and lowlands of the Andes. They prefer
the dark, dank underbrush of the cool rainforest, particularly thick
bamboo stands. There are two species: Pudu pudu is distributed in
parts of southern Bolivia and throughout much of southern Chile
nearly to the Straits of Magellan. It is also found on islands off the
Chilean coast. Pudu mephistophiles is distributed throughout the
highlands of Ecuador, where it occurs only in cool areas at great
height.
With their short legs, stocky bodies, and compact heads, pudus do
not look much like deer- more like small antelopes with foxlike faces
and spiky antlers. Full grown, they are only 40 cm tall and weigh less
315
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SOUTH AMERICA'S MICRODEER
317
than 12 kg. They have thick fur ranging from reddish brown to pale
gray.
Because of the pudu's small size, shy and secretive nature, and
forbidding habitat, few people have ever even seen one. Nonetheless,
these animals tame easily and reportedly were once kept by South
American Indians. Several generations were also once bred in a Paris
apartment and were treated exactly like domestic dogs, which most
people who saw them for the first time thought they were.
In recent years, habitat destruction has greatly reduced the range
and numbers of these attractive and fascinating little creatures. The
International Union for the Conservation of Nature already lists them
as vulnerable to extinction. Pudu studies are highly recommended,
and raising pudus promises to be an interesting and valuable activity
that may one day lead to one of the most intriguing microlivestock of
all.
BROCKET
Brockets (Mazama spp.) are small deer that occupy the place in
South America's environment that duikers occupy in Africa (see page
3261. They typically reside in thick brush. They occur widely throughout
South America and are found in every country except Chile and
Uruguay. They also occur in Central America, the West Indies, and
Mexico.
There are four species:
· Red bracket (Mazama americana), the most common and wide-
spread, is found from Mexico to Argentina. It is also the largest
species, with a mature weight of about 20 kg.
· Gray (brown) bracket (Mazama gouazoubira) is also found
throughout Latin America. It is slightly smaller, weighing about 17 kg.
· Lesser bracket (Mazama rufinay2 resides in small and scattered
locations in Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, and
Paraguay. It weighs 1~20 kg.
· Dwarf bracket (Mazama chunyi) is found only in pockets of forest
and brush on certain mountainsides in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador,
and northern Peru. The smallest bracket, it weighs only ~12 kg.
' I.I. Sanderson, Living Mammals of the World, Doubleday and Co., Inc., New York.
ND.
2 This includes the formerly recognized species Mazama nana and Mazama bricenii.
Opposite: Little is known about the shy, secretive pudu not even how many there are
in the wild. However, a handful of researchers, including Mark McNamara (shown
here) have started to study them. (New York Zoological Society Photo)
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318
MICROLIVESTOCK
Except for their size and color, all brackets look alike. The head,
neck, and tail are short; the ears are wide. The lumbar region is higher
than the shoulders, and this, together with an arched back, gives them
a hunched appearance not unlike a duiker's. The antlers are simple
spikes, never longer than a person's hand.
The different species are similar in behavior, took They generally
wander around singly or in pairs. Although frequenting dense cover
during the day, they emerge at night to feed in open areas. Little is
known of their food preferences. But farmers know only too well how
fond they are of melons, beans, peppers, and corn. Doubtless, wild
forest fruits dominate their native diet.
Although extensively hunted, brackets are so adept at dodging into
dense brush that relatively few get caught. However, small size makes
them vulnerable to many other predators: puma, jaguar, ocelot, and
eagles and other large birds of prey. Near villages the domestic dog is
probably their worst enemy. (Infuriated vegetable growers commonly
set their dogs on them.)
Although at first sight these retiring, nervous, and agile creatures
seem unlikely to be even potential microlivestock, young brackets are
sometimes caught and raised by people. It is not uncommon to find
them as pets on farms and in gardens. They seem to become very
tame and might therefore make useful livestock at some future time.
At least one species, the gray bracket, adjusts particularly well to life
in and around human settlements.
HUEMUL
The third type of South American microdeer, the huemul,4 is a much
less likely candidate. It is very rare, very shy, and has so far shown
little likelihood of settling into captivity. However, huemul conserva-
tion is critical: without urgent attention, the animal will become extinct.
Although totally protected by law, it is declining owing to poaching,
farm dogs, habitat loss and diseases transmitted by cattle and other
livestock.
There are two species:
· The Chilean huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus)5 occurs in high
3 The dwarf bracket was first described in 1908. The habits of this species are virtually
unknown. It is so like the pudu (see above) that it was formerly classified as Pudu
mephistophiles.
4 Sometimes called "guemal."
s Their strange generic name, [Iippocamelus, arose because initially these animals were
not recognized as deer. No one knew how to classify them, and they have been given
more than 20 different names. At least one taxonomist considered them to be "horse-
camels."
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SOUTH AMERICA'S MICRODEER
319
altitude forests, thickets, and grasslands in the Andes of southern
Chile and Argentina.
· The Peruvian huemul, or taruca (H. antisepsis), occurs in parts
of the Andes of southern Peru and Bolivia as well as of northern Chile
and Argentina.
Both species live in small herds above the tree line. They are very
shy, and even though the Chilean national seal bears the depiction of
a huemul, almost no Chilean (or anyone else, for that matter) has ever
seen a live one.
At less than 85 cm tall and probably weighing under 15 kg, huemuls
are sized to be microlivestock. However, previous attempts at rearing
them in Chile have met with little success. Nevertheless, huemuls
have been kept in zoos in Germany, and such experiences together
with the increasing knowledge of how to raise red deer and other
species may eventually provide the keys to their continued existence.
'3 -
-
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
pudu mephistophiles
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