Reeves's muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi), also known as the Chinese muntjac, It has also been introduced in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Japan. It takes its name from John Reeves, a naturalist employed by the British East India Company in the 19th century.
Description
Reeves's muntjac grows to high at the shoulder and in length, plus a short tail up to long. It weighs between when fully grown. It is reddish-brown in appearance with striped markings on its face. It is also called the barking deer due to its distinctive barking sound, When fighting, males first use their antlers to push enemies off balance so they can wound them with their upper canine teeth.
thumb|On [[Hachijō-jima]]
Reproduction
Female muntjacs (known as "does") become sexually mature within the first year of life. Mating occurs throughout the year. Their gestation period lasts from 209 to 220 days. Females limit the number of mating bouts, though time between successive bouts is determined by males (known as "bucks" It has also been introduced in several other regions.
Continental Europe
It has been introduced in Belgium and seen in the Netherlands. Populations were once present in France, but this is no longer the case as of 2020. This implies that this species cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialised, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union.
Great Britain
Reeves's muntjacs were first introduced to the UK in the early 19th century.
In the late 19th century, the then Duke of Bedford brought some to Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire, then in 1901 released them into the surrounding woods. A few more probably escaped from the nearby Whipsnade Zoo. During the mid-20th century, Woburn conducted several deliberate releases in distant locations throughout England. It is suspected that there were also other unrecorded releases or escapes from private collections. These releases later caused misperception that muntjacs spread very rapidly. The estimated population of Reeves's muntjacs in England was 52,000 in 1995, and 104,000 in 2008.
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it was illegal to release the species except where already established, and the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 has subsequently prohibited the capture and re-release of muntjac in all cases. , colonies exist throughout England south of the Humber, and the population continues to grow.
Ireland
It has been introduced in the Republic of Ireland.
Sightings in 2008 caused the government, concerned at the risk of the species becoming established, to quickly introduce a year-round hunting season. It is considered a harmful invasive species. Also, Reeves's muntjac escaped a zoo on Izu Ōshima in 1970 when a fence fell due to a typhoon. They have inflicted severe damage to the local plantations.
Conservation
In Hong Kong, Reeves's muntjac is a protected species under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance Cap 170. It is listed as least concern by the IUCN due to being generally common and widespread.