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History and current status
Sika originate from the Far East and some 13 different races are recognised, many of them endangered in their native countries. Size varies considerably, from the typical Japanese race with a shoulder height of 65-79 centimetres to the Sybowski sika of Manchuria and Korea which measures about 110 centimetres. Sika are closely related to red deer and can interbreed with them. In habit they keep more to woodland than red deer. Populations which are subject to disturbance become largely nocturnal.
Most sika in Britain are Japanese in origin and were brought first to Ireland in about 1860, to Powerscourt, and thence to a variety of places in England and Scotland. Some were released deliberately, eg. in Kintyre, the New Forest, Dorset and Bowland. The deer at Bowland are thought to have been Manchurian. Others escaped from parks, especially during the two World Wars, and established feral populations.
In recent years the sika has extended its range, especially in Scotland. The distribution map shows how it is now well established from Argyll up to the Great Glen and again north from Inverness to Sutherland. Another colony in Peebles is now expanding northward and eastward. In England sika are to be found in Lancashire and Yorkshire, southern Dorset and the New Forest. In addition, small local populations exist in the vicinity of several of the parks from which they originally escaped.
Further expansion seems likely, especially in the north. Sika appear to favour the wetter, acid-soil areas and avoid chalk downland.
More on sika deer...
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