Woodland Wildlife of Britain: Muntjac Deer, Reeves’s Muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi)

The Reeves’s muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi). It takes its name from John Reeves, an employee of the British East India Company in the 19th century. Reeves’s muntjacs were introduced to the grounds of Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire in the nineteenth century by the then Duke of Bedford. While a small number are reported as escaping, it is extremely unlikely that they are the source of the current UK population. Larger numbers of Reeves’s muntjac escaped from Whipsnade Zoo, and they are the more likely ancestors, in addition to other releases. Since the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it has been illegal to release the species except where already established. Colonies exist throughout England south of Derbyshire, and the population continues to grow. In Ireland, sightings in 2008 caused the government, concerned at the risk of the species becoming established, to quickly introduce a year-round hunting season.