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Elk antlers regrow12/11/2023 ![]() Stags grow antlers in late Spring and have a soft skin covering called velvet. They are primarily grazers and will graze all year round, however they will eat heather shoots, mosses, lichens and even unpalatable mat-grass to see them through winter to the following spring. Red deer are a herd deer but group size is influenced by habitat, they form larger herds when living in open country with smaller groups in woodland areas. Red deer stags are easiest to see in late September and early October during the rut. These are not native herds but were introduced from Scotland in the 19th Century. Donegal, Connemara, Co Galway and areas of Co Mayo. Wicklow, also wild herds exist in Glenveagh, Co. Other herds can be found in the Glendalough Valley and Turlough Hill in Co. So far no cases of crossbreeding between Red and Sika have been recorded in Killarney (as has happened in Wicklow), but the situation is being carefully monitored, and a high priority is attached to maintaining the genetic purity of the native herd. Sika deer are potentially a threat to the genetic integrity of the Red deer herd, as they are known to be capable of interbreeding. These are the only native wild Red deer that exist in Ireland today. The main deer range can be found on Torc, Cores and Mangerton Mountains with other herds in the lowland areas of the national park in Killarney, Co Kerry. While some claims have been made, the number of wild Red Deer and their hybrids in Ireland are unknown as no national deer census have been carried out. A female (hind) is smaller with shoulder height up to 110cm (44”) and a weight of up to 110kg (240Ibs). A fully-grown Red stag can stand 120cm (48”) high at the shoulder and can weigh anything up to 190kg (420Ibs). A stag with more than 12 tines is known as a ‘Royal’. A dominant animal may have 18-20 points (tines) on the antlers, although 14-16 is more common. A mature stag carries a large rack of antlers, which are at peak condition in the early autumn for the rut, when they are used for bouts of sparring between rivals. The Red deer has a rich red coloured coat, darkening down to a greyish brown in winter. As a result of rigorous protection and management they have increased to 690 in the early 1990’s within the National Park. This declined between 19 to as few as 60. ![]() It is known that at the turn of the century there were in excess of 1500 Red deer in Killarney. By the middle of the 19th century the last home of the Red deer was in the woodlands and mountains around Killarney, where their preservation was due to the strict protection of the two large estates of Herberts of Muckross and the Brownes, Earl of Kenmare. At this time they roamed freely through out Ireland, however as a result of deforestation, over hunting and the Great Famine (1845 – 1847) many populations became extinct. They are believed to have had a continuous presence in Ireland since the end of the last Ice Age (c. Red deer are our largest and the only native species to Ireland. ![]()
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