Population Characteristics And Behavior Of Chinese Water Deer (Hydropotes Inermis) Re-introduced To Pudong New Area, Shanghai

Chinese water deer (Hydropotes inermis ) used to live in the countryside of Shanghai, China. And the climate and habitat conditions there were adapted to the deer. In order to re-introduce this species to Shanghai, an experimental re-introduction are needed. Cooperated with the Shanghai Pudong New Area Green Office, an experimental unit was established in Huaxia Park of Pudong New Area in December 2006, and a population of 21 deer was introduced into the unit from Zhoushan Island in March 2007.From March 2007 to January 2009, this re-introduced population was studied by observing behaviors and recording changes. So that we could assess the adaptability of the population on the environment, provide basic information and relevant basis of the re-introduction and give good advice to the future of deer in Shanghai. We also could make supplementary biological characteristics to this species. The results are as follows:Population charecteristics: Deer population continued to grow for two years, from the initial 21 individuals to 51 ones; 80.95% of the introductional individuals survived and 79.54% of their offspring survived; The heavy rainfall in rainy season of Shanghai got significant effect on mortality. The reproduction of the female and the physiological characteristics of the offspring were tracked and measured. It was found that the birth date got earlier as the age of the mothers grew, as well as the survival rate of offspring improved. Compared with the populations in Europe and their origin in Zhoushan Island, the experimental population had higher calving dates and lower mortality.Behavior time budget and activity rhythm: Behaviors of the 19 categories were descripted according to the observation. A total of twenty-four individuals were observed from March to July 2008. From the study, it is found that of the 9 behavior catalogues, the prime behavior is resting in the daytime both in spring and summer. , and followed by feeding. , female spent more time feeding in summer than in spring, and also more than that of male in summer due to the energy requirements of late pregnancy and lactation. However there is no great difference between the sexes in the whole observation period. In the summer, behaviors such as standing, moving and auto-grooming sharply declined compared to those in the spring. The daily activity rhythm included two activity peaks, one in the morning (6:00-7:00hr) and the other at dusk (18:00-19:00hr), especially in feeding. There was a small peak of activity behavior at noon (11:00-13:00hr) for the impaction of human beings. The result was also compared with the study of the feral population at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park in England.Habitat selection: Six regions with different vegetation and artificial facilities were selected for the research. The frequency of deer in these regions were recorded. The results showed that: deer appeared offen in bamboo with a maximum frequency (26.14%), while in the river area at least (2.75%); there are differences in different age groups, the introductional individuals utilized the artificial facilities much more than the younger, and even choose the artificial shed to give birth; The percentage of the behaviors were also differed in different regions, of six regions, alarting and conflicting behaviors are most frequent in artificial area. The female used to give birth in the mixed forests far away from the river.Results should give a better understanding of this species and help to establish better management of it in the suburban districts in Shanghai in future.