Hog Deer Facts | Bhutan & Nepal Wildlife Guide

This small, endangered deer ranges from Pakistan through northern India, Nepal, and Southeast Asia. It canters with its head held low and its white-tipped tail erect, as it dodges under obstacles rather than prancing over them as most deer do—much like the hog after which it is named. Hog deer take cover whenever able in riverine grasslands, floodplains and forests. They feed on tender shoots and grasses in addition to flowers and fallen fruit.

Hog deer forage in home ranges that overlap with one another, and the number of individuals in an area may range from 1 to 19 individuals per square kilometer, though these deer do not form herds. When alerted to danger, hog deer disperse and emit a whistling call or a bark of warning. These deer are preyed upon by leopards, tigers, Indian wild dogs, and at times Burmese pythons.

Males can become aggressive when only a few individuals occupy a range and use glandular secretions to mark their boundaries. During the rut—the deer’s breeding season—groups of males gather together in meadows, pawing the ground during hostile encounters. A male will court and guard a single female during the rut, which reaches its peak in September and October.

Header Credit: Surya Ramachand

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