Deer breeding successful

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: The rare Sambar deer (cervus unicolor brookei), which three years ago was on the brink of extinction in East Kalimantan, has been successful bred in the province.

The success of the deer breeding program is encouraging in view of the fact that the deer population in the province has come under severe pressure from illegal hunting, the head of the local husbandry office, Erik Nursyahramdanie, said here on Saturday.

The program began in 1991 with three pairs of deer.

Today, the 1,000 hectare breeding park where the program is carried out has become home for 94 deer, he said, as quoted by Antara.

"Outside the park, deer of this species, which can weigh up to 200 kilograms, are prized by hunters for their meat," Nursyahramdanie said, noting that several restaurants in Samarinda and nearby Tenggarong have venison on the menu.

Around 5,000 deer are thought to be killed annually by hunters, he said quoting an official report. (mds)