Fallow Deer

Fallow Deer (Dama dama) were introduced to South Africa, and especially the Eastern Cape game farms for the hunting industry because of their exotic qualities. They adapted extremely well to the South African environment with access to savanna grasslands. The Fallow Deer are grazing animals and their preferred habitat is mixed woodland and open grassland. Only the bucks have antlers, which are broad and shovel-shaped (palmate) which develop at three years old. In the bucks’ first two years the antler is a single spike. Generally, the deer try to stay together in groups of up to 150. They are agile and very fast over short distances, reaching top speeds of 48km/h (30 mph) (48 km/h). Fallow deer can also make jumps up to 1.75 metres high and up to 5 metres in length.

WEIGHT MALE: 70 KG

WEIGHT FEMALE: 45 KG

SHOULDER HEIGHT MALE: 85 CM

SHOULDER HEIGHT FEMALE: 75 CM

MATING SEASON: MARCH / APRIL

Weights & shoulder heights are averages