GROWTH, MILK INTAKE AND BEHAVIOR OF ARTIFICIALLY REARED SAMBAR DEER (CERVUS-UNICOLOR) AND RED DEER (CERVUS-ELAPHUS) FAWNS

Sambar deer (n = 8) and red deer (n = 8) fawns were successfully artif icially reared to 70 days of age, using ewe milk replacer, at Flock Ho use Agricultural Centre, New Zealand, during 1991. Sambar deer fawns h ad a lower, overall milk consumption than red deer fawns (312 v. 359 g DM/day; P < 0.05), and showed an earlier peak in milk consumption, a faster rate of decline and earlier self weaning. Birth weight as a pro portion of dam liveweight was lower for sambar than for red deer, but liveweight gains to weaning (347 v. 330 g/day) and 70 day weaning weig hts (30.0 v. 30.4 kg) were similar. The age at which deer commenced a range of activities. including eating forage and ruminating, was simil ar for both species, except that jumping activities commenced 5 days l ater in sambar than in red deer (P < 0.01). Following milk feeding, sa mbar fawns were less active than red deer fawns. It was concluded that sambar deer fawns can be successfully artificially reared using ewe m ilk replacer, but that extra precautions are needed to avoid scouring and abomasal bloat, which were more prevalent in sambar than in red de er fawns.