Eld's Deer (Cervus eldii)

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable CITES Appendix I

This species was thought to be on the brink of extinction in Cambodia until recent camera trap photos taken by Wildlife Conservation Society found a few herds in Preah Vihear province.


Subsequently, the WWF Cambodia survey team also caught some shots in Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary, Mondolkiri Province using the same camera trapping technique. This evidence supports hopes that some of these rare animals have survived the hunting activities of humans.

Natural habitat
The deer's natural habitat is the dry, deciduous forests in the Northern and Northeastern Plains of the Dry Forests.

Hunters reported that they saw Eld's deer at seasonal wetland ponds in large groups of 10 to 40. Evidence of Eld's deer occurring in the Cardamom Mountains was also confirmed recently.

An easy target for hunters
Given the species' habit of inhabiting open grasslands, especially near water, Eld's deer have been an easy target for hunters.

Some people believe that the deer fed the Khmer Rouge army during Cambodia 's civil war, an episode which perhaps resulted in the decimation of the resident populations.

Cambodia and Laos probably hold the last known global populations of this sub-species. (The species is actually fairly widespread and common in India, but the siamensis subspecies only occurs in Cambodia, Laos, and Hainan Island.)