The diet and trace element status of sambar deer (Cervus unicoloi) in Manawatu district, New Zealand

Abstract

In Manawatu, sambar deer cause damage to pine forests by stripping bark off trees. In August‐September of 1994 and 1995 samples of rumen contents and liver were collected from sambar to determine the incidence of pine in the diet and the trace element (copper, selenium, cobalt) status of these animals. Unidentified grasses were the predominant plants in 34 of the 40 rumen content samples. In the remaining samples, flax (Phormium tenax) predominated in three and pine (Pinus spp.) in three. Pine needles and/or stems were found in 25 samples, and constituted more than 10% of the dry weight of 11 samples, but pine bark was found in only three samples. The levels of selenium (>850 nmol/kg) and vitamin B12 (>220 nmol/kg) in the 22 liver samples would be considered adequate for sheep, red deer, and cattle and probably also for sambar. The liver copper levels were inadequate (<100 μmol/kg) in three of four samples taken from deer shot in Moutoa whose diet consisted of grass and flax. The varied diet of sambar allows them to obtain sufficient selenium and copper in an area where the soils are deficient in these elements from the standpoint of livestock production.

Key words:

• sambar deer
• Cervus unicolor
• diet
• pine
• flax
• copper
• selenium