Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)

The red deer here in the Park were a gift to Nova Scotia from the Queen Mother of England. Found in Europe, red deer stay in one particular territory and do not stray from it. Except to mate, these animals remain in separate herds most of the year. Stags (males) cast their antlers between February and April. Fully-grown, clean and hard by late September, these antlers are solid bone.

Weighing 100 to 250 kg, red deer are a reddish-brown colour with light underparts and a white patch under their tail. They browse in the morning and late afternoon, eating grasses and foliage from deciduous trees.

After the stag sheds his velvet in August or September, the herds break up for mating season. Stags give a deep, powerful bellow to the hinds (females) to gather them into harems. The males fight with each other for these females.

One young is born in May or June and is covered with hair. The young can stand a few hours after birth, their spots fade in the first or second month, and they are weaned at 8 to 10 months. When alarmed or distressed, the young sound a high-pitched bleat.