SANParks is culling exotic Sambar deer in the Table Mountain National Park. But is the Sambars' diet good or bad for Table Mountain's ecology as they browse both indigenous and alien vegetation? And does their browsing on the forest understorey help reduce the risk of fire?
It may come as a surprise to many that Sambar deer exist on Table Mountain. These large Oriental deer, about the size of a North American elk, were imported by Cecil John Rhodes for his menagerie on Groote Schuur Estate.
They soon escaped, however, and are now known to be present in Orange Kloof, Hout Bay and Oudekraal. According to a recent review of the scant evidence about Sambar on Table Mountain, scientists estimated that the original population of 19 slowly expanded to an estimated 30 individuals by 2010, with limited impact on the environment. During this time, forest cover (the preferred habitat of Sambar) more than doubled on Table Mountain.
Sambar deer are on the international Red List as "vulnerable" because of steep declines in their home ranges in South-East Asia due to over-exploitation for meat and antlers. They are on the verge of extinction in Malaysia.
Sambar deer are not, however, regarded as a species of concern in South Africa. Rather, they are subject to ad hoc "culling" operations by SANParks simply because they are exotic/alien. This has caused local controversy...
