Sika deer
Cervus nippon
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Photo credit: Jochen Langbein
Sika deer - Cervus nippon
Description:
Habitat:
Origin and Distribution:
Impacts:
Is it found in Northern Ireland?
How did it get here?
Methods for Preventing Spread:
You can help by reporting any sightings:@ the Centre for Environmental Data & Recording (CEDaR) - Or via the iRecord App.
Current Legislation Position (Listed on 07 August 2025): This species must not intentionally be brought into the Union; kept; bred; transported to, from or within the United Kingdom, unless for the transportation to facilities in the context of eradication; placed on the market; used or exchanged; permitted to reproduce, grown or cultivated; or released into the environment.
For further queries, you can contact the Invasive Non Native Species (INNS) Team in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency on 028 9056 9558 or Email: invasivespecies@daera-ni.gov.uk.
Sika deer - Cervus nippon
Description:
- Similar to red deer but smaller.
- Mainly reddish- or yellowish-brown, with a dark dorsal stripe (in summer surrounded by white spotting).
- Large, white, heart-shaped patch, edged with black, on the rear end.
- Thin, dark line present down the white tail.
Habitat:
- Can occupy a broad range of habitats.
- Can be found in coniferous woodlands, mixed woodlands, and heathlands with damp, acidic soils, often near open grasslands.
- They thrive in areas with dense cover like hazel, brambles, and rhododendron.
Origin and Distribution:
- Native to eastern Asia, from south-eastern Siberia to eastern China, Japan, Taiwan and southwards through Manchuria and Korea.
- Introduced populations present in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, and parts of the USA.
Impacts:
- Can damage trees through ring barking (stripping bark around the trunk, killing the tree), browsing, trampling, antler rubbing, and bole-scoring (deep gouges on the trunk from antler rubbing).
- Trail creation can lead to soil erosion and water quality degradation.
- They can alter vegetation structure and species composition in heathland and wetlands.
- Can hybridise with red deer threatening genetic integrity of both species.
- In Eastern Europe they are a vector for Asiatic nematode (Asworthius sidemi), affecting wildlife and potentially livestock.
- Bovine and avian TB recorded in wild and captive populations.
- Cause of road traffic accidents.
Is it found in Northern Ireland?
- Yes, with primary concentrations in County Fermanagh and County Tyrone.
How did it get here?
- Sika deer were first brought to London Zoo in 1860.
- They became popular as an ornamental animal for deer parks on large estates across the UK.
- Many deer subsequently escaped or wandered from deer parks, and some were deliberately introduced into the wild.
Methods for Preventing Spread:
- Do not introduce sika deer.
- Report all sightings.
You can help by reporting any sightings:@ the Centre for Environmental Data & Recording (CEDaR) - Or via the iRecord App.
Current Legislation Position (Listed on 07 August 2025): This species must not intentionally be brought into the Union; kept; bred; transported to, from or within the United Kingdom, unless for the transportation to facilities in the context of eradication; placed on the market; used or exchanged; permitted to reproduce, grown or cultivated; or released into the environment.
For further queries, you can contact the Invasive Non Native Species (INNS) Team in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency on 028 9056 9558 or Email: invasivespecies@daera-ni.gov.uk.