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[March Free Report]Bringing back the Formosan Sika Deer |
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by Jing Yuan Huang | 01-04-2023 01:14
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In my last report, we discussed whether it is possible to bring extinct creatures such as the Formosan Clouded Leopard back into the ecosystem. In fact, there is a successful revival case in Taiwan which is the Formosan sika deers, the species that extinct 50 years ago. Since the 1630s, under the colonization of the dutch, the demand for deerskin became one of the largest export goods in Taiwan. During that time, the dutch could export more than 100 thousand deerskin in a year. As the victim, the number of Formosan sika deers decreased dramatically. After the dutch colonization, the situation doesn’t get better, although deer skin lost its importance in trade, its habitat, forest, had been destroyed to make wood trade and create arable spaces. In 1969, the Formosan sika deer was officially extinct after the last wild fawn was caught in a trap. The loss of Formosan sika deer damages the local ecosystem because of its importance in maintaining grass and weed growth. Fortunately, there are very few Formosan sika deers on private farms when it’s facing extinction. By using the DNA from these deers, Kenting National Park starts the process of restoration of Formosan sika deers. Within 20 years, deers are no more endangered, furthermore, they multiply fast in Kenting and Green island which even rises the fear of many biologists. Overall, there are now more than 2000 Formosan sika deers is living on this land, and seen to be adapt and coexist with humans. In addition, here comes a fun fact, next time when you come to Taiwan, you'd better notice the five hundred Taiwan dollars. You can find a Formosan sika deer on it. Of course, you can also visit Kenting to see the real Formosan sika deer instead of the one on five hundred Taiwan dollars. |
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2 Comments
Hello Jing Yuan Huang! This is your mentor James!
First of all, my apologies for the late comments.
Thanks to this report, now I know about the Formosan Sika Deer population restoration project! It saddens me that those deer were almost in the brink of extinction. However, unlike the cloud leopards, deer farms were available for breeding and restoration. Nonetheless, this does not mean that it is okay to hunt down sika deer just like the old days; it is time for us to learn the lesson and not repeat the same mistake as before.
Thank you for your contribution! Looking forward to reading your next report.
Posted 05-05-2023 18:15
Hello Jing. This is your mentor Yewon!
You have written a report about the Formosan sika deers. It is quite interesting that humans have succeeded to bring extinct species utilizing DNA! And I didn't know that the Formosan sika deers appear on five hundred Taiwan dollars! If I have a chance to visit Taiwan, I hope to see the Formosan sika deer!
Thank you for your great work!!
Posted 03-05-2023 01:07