The Rusa Deer :

The Rusa Deer is native to the islands of Java. The first ones were brought to Mauritius and released in 1638 by Van der Stel. Fifty years later, there was an abundance of them.

Nowadays, deer hunting has became a sport, and deer breeding ensures food diversification. This kind of breeding is quite successful because all communities include deer meat in their food habits.

Throughout the mountainsides of Saint-Denis you can see the Rusa Deers, and some endemic birds such as kestrels (Falco punctatus), pink pigeons (Naesonas Mayeri), Mauritius fodys (Columbia Mayeri), paradise flycatchers (Foudia Rubia), and the ‘Mauritian flying fox’ (Pteropus niger), also known as ‘Greater Mascarene flying fox’ or ‘Mauritius fruit bat’.

Bigger than the Sika Deer, the Rusa Deer has big three-point antlers. It can weigh 180 kg and have 101 cm antlers (record in Mauritius).