Home range of reintroduced Chinese water deer in Nanhui East Shoal Wildlife Sanctuary of Shanghai, China

Abstract

The Chinese water deer was once widely spread in Liaodong Peninsula, North China Plain and both banks of the Yangtze River and the Korean peninsula. Due to long-term environmental changes and influence of human development, its wild population in China has rapidly declined, both in abundance and distribution. As one of the native species in the history of Shanghai, Chinese water deer was introduced to Shanghai for captive breeding in 2006 and were released into the wild in 2010. The present study was conducted in Nanhui East Shoal Wildlife Sanctuary. The reintroduction of Chinese water deer was carried out separately in June and October 2010. So as to study the movement of the deer after release, 12 Chinese water deer (sex ratio 1 : 1) were tagged with radio-collars. We successfully used radio-telemetry to track 10 deer, and used the minimum convex polygon (MCP) and fixed kernel estimation (FKE) methods to calculate their home range. The results showed that using the MCP method, the mean home-range size of Chinese water deer was estimated to be 671 ha (range 245–1559 ha), while using the 95% FKE method, the mean was estimated to be 262 ha (range 43–435 ha). The mean home-range size of a buck was smaller than that of a doe by both MCP and FKE. The mean home-range size of an adult female was smaller than that of a subadult female. The largest seasonal home-range size (MCP, 275 ha) occurred during the winter of the first year, which then kept on shrinking in spring and summer. Home-range overlap was found among the home range of each individual. The mean overlap size was 303 ha. The mean overlap size was 135 ha in bucks, 422 ha in does and 270 ha between the buck and the doe. The study reflects that the seasonal food change is probably the main factor for the change of home-range size. Oestrus may also result in the enlargement of home range in winter. As an attempt to reintroduce large mammals to cities, we hope to provide useful experience for future wildlife management and conservation.