Hilton Head white-tailed deer

Last updated

Hilton Head white-tailed deer
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Capreolinae
Genus: Odocoileus
Species:
Subspecies:
O. v. hiltonensis
Trinomial name
Odocoileus virginianus hiltonensis
(Goldman and Kellog, 1940)

Hilton Head white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus hiltonensis) are a subspecies of white-tailed deer indigenous to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. The deer live in a mainly suburban environment and have developed (according to a study) home range areas on the island. [1]

Hilton Head white-tailed deer are listed as a "species of concern" by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service although culling of the deer is regularly approved in order to reduce the population and prevent accidents. The culls caused controversy amongst area residents and wildlife groups. [2] [3] [4] Before culling was approved many of the deer were relocated across the island to spread out the herd. [5] Sea Pines Plantation, a mixed residential and natural area, became a site of controversy when residents complained about the deer eating their shrubbery, and causing property damage. [4] A University of Georgia professor formulated a plan [ when? ] to cut the subspecies population in half, which was met with a lawsuit against the university by local wildlife groups seeking to stop the program. The professor stated that the animals lack a natural predator on the island. [6] On August 27, 1998, an injunction by a local judge temporarily blocked any killing of the population. [7] The South Carolina Legislature designated Sea Pines a state wildlife sanctuary in 1971, but a circuit judge agreed that culling of the deer population was legal in 1999. [4] [8] The South Carolina Supreme Court concurred with the ruling and allowed the culling to proceed so long as it was regulated by the state. [4] [9] Subsequently, there has been little opposition to the population reduction program, and after only three years the size of the herd had been reduced by 500. [4] Deer-vehicle collisions were also reduced from 60 per year to 10 per year. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chronic wasting disease</span> Prion disease affecting the deer family

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), sometimes called zombie deer disease, is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) affecting deer. TSEs are a family of diseases thought to be caused by misfolded proteins called prions and include similar diseases such as BSE in cattle, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans and scrapie in sheep. In the United States, CWD affects mule deer, white-tailed deer, red deer, sika deer, elk, caribou, and moose. Natural infection causing CWD affects members of the deer family. Experimental transmission of CWD to other species such as squirrel monkeys and genetically modified mice has been shown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-tailed deer</span> Species of hooved mammal

The white-tailed deer, also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia, where it predominately inhabits high mountain terrains of the Andes. It has also been introduced to New Zealand, all the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean, and some countries in Europe, such as the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Romania and Serbia. In the Americas, it is the most widely distributed wild ungulate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mule deer</span> Deer indigenous to western North America

The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-tailed deer</span> Subspecies of deer

Two forms of black-tailed deer or blacktail deer that occupy coastal woodlands in the Pacific Northwest of North America are subspecies of the mule deer. They have sometimes been treated as a species, but virtually all recent authorities maintain they are subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge</span> National Wildlife Refuge near Sealy, Texas

Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge is a federally protected refugium encompassing one of the largest remnants of coastal prairie habitat remaining in southeast Texas, United States, and home to one of the last populations of critically endangered Attwater's prairie chickens, a ground-dwelling grouse of the coastal prairie ecosystem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sambar deer</span> Species of deer

The sambar is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent, South China and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local insurgency, and industrial exploitation of habitat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Key deer</span> Subspecies of deer endemic to the Florida Keys

The Key deer is an endangered deer that lives only in the Florida Keys. It is a subspecies of the white-tailed deer. It is the smallest extant North American deer species.

Parelaphostrongylus tenuis is a neurotropic nematode parasite common to white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, which causes damage to the central nervous system. Moose, elk, caribou, mule deer, and others are also susceptible to the parasite, but are aberrant hosts and are infected in neurological instead of meningeal tissue. The frequency of infection in these species increases dramatically when their ranges overlap high densities of white-tailed deer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican wolf</span> Subspecies of grey wolf native to the U.S. and Mexico

The Mexican wolf, also known as the lobo, is a subspecies of gray wolf native to southeastern Arizona and southern New Mexico in the United States, and northern Mexico; it also previously ranged into western Texas. It is the smallest of North America's gray wolves, and is similar to the Great Plains wolf, though it is distinguished by its smaller, narrower skull and its darker pelt, which is yellowish-gray and heavily clouded with black over the back and tail. Its ancestors were likely the first gray wolves to enter North America after the extinction of the Beringian wolf, as indicated by its southern range and basal physical and genetic characteristics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culling</span> Process of segregating organisms in biology

In biology, culling is the process of segregating organisms from a group according to desired or undesired characteristics. In animal breeding, it is the process of removing or segregating animals from a breeding stock based on a specific trait. This is done to exaggerate desirable characteristics, or to remove undesirable characteristics by altering the genetic diversity of the population. For livestock and wildlife, culling often refers to the act of killing removed animals based on their individual characteristics, such as their sex or species membership, or as a means of preventing infectious disease transmission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbian white-tailed deer</span> Subspecies of deer

The Columbian white-tailed deer is one of the several subspecies of white-tailed deer in North America. It is a member of the Cervidae (deer) family, which includes mule deer, elk, moose, caribou, and the black-tailed deer that live nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Key Largo woodrat</span> Subspecies of rodent endemic to Key Largo, Florida, United States

The Key Largo woodrat, a subspecies of the eastern woodrat, is a medium-sized rat found on less than 2,000 acres of the northern area of Key Largo, Florida, in the United States. It is currently on the United States Fish and Wildlife Service list of endangered species. Only 6500 animals were thought to remain in North Key Largo in the late 1980s.

Fern Cave National Wildlife Refuge is a 199-acre (0.8 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in northeastern Alabama, near Paint Rock, Alabama in Jackson County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elk</span> Large antlered species of deer from North America and East Asia

The elk, or wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The word "elk" originally referred to the European variety of the moose, Alces alces, but was transferred to Cervus canadensis by North American colonists. The name "wapiti", derived from a Shawnee and Cree word meaning "white rump", is also used for C. canadensis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern cougar</span> Extinct population of cougar in eastern part of North America

The eastern cougar or eastern puma is a subspecies designation proposed in 1946 for cougar populations in eastern North America. The subspecies as described in 1946 was declared extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2011. However, the 1946 taxonomy is now in question. The Canadian Wildlife Service has taken no position on the taxonomy. Cougars are currently common in western North America and may be expanding their range. Individuals are occasionally seen as vagrants in eastern North America.

The Cedros Island mule deer is a subspecies of mule deer found only on Cedros Island off the coast of Baja California. Only about 50 individuals remain, with no captive population. Its behavior is similar to that of other subspecies of mule deer. The subspecies is threatened by feral dogs and poaching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deer cutaneous fibroma</span>

Cutaneous fibromas are common neoplasms occurring in wild and domestic deer of many species and are caused by host-specific viral infections. The fibromas occur most frequently in animals under 2 years of age, with cases in older deer reported occasionally or rarely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of Florida</span> Fauna of the US state of Florida

Florida hosts many types of fauna. From coral reefs of the Florida Keys to the cypress swamps of the Panhandle, the state's diverse habitats are home to a variety of wildlife. Florida is among the top five states in terms of endemic species. There are over 700 terrestrial animals, 200 freshwater fish species, 1,000 marine fish and thousands of terrestrial insects and other invertebrates that inhabit the state. Florida's peninsular geography spans from subtropical to tropical zones, which, combined with its distinctive geology and climate, contribute to habitat diversity and an array of species. The native wildlife that exists in the state are of temperate and tropical origin.

References

  1. Loewer, Peter (2002). Solving deer problems: how to keep them out of the garden, avoid them on the road, and deal with them anywhere!. Globe Pequot. p. 69. ISBN   1-58574-672-X.
  2. "Hilton Head White-Tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus hiltonensis)". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  3. "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Animal Candidate Review for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species" (PDF). Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. 1994. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Deer Debate in Hilton Grand, South Carolina". WUI Professional Development Program|Hilton Team Member Travel Program.
  5. Cromwell, Jennifer; Robert Warren; David Henderson (1999). "jstor". Wildlife Society Bulletin. 27: 1025–1031. JSTOR   3783662.
  6. McCormack, Francia (September 16, 1998). "Oh, deer: Animal-rights activists sue". Red & Black. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  7. "Injunction Protect Hilton Head Deer - For Now". Associated Press. Herald-Journal. August 27, 1998. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  8. "Judge Allows Resort Deer Kill". Star-News. May 6, 1999. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  9. "Beaufort County Communities thinning out deer population". The Beaufort Gazette. November 17, 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2010.