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Muntjac Revenge of the
This month, Paul Gray exclaims ‘oh deer’ as he discovers a rogue Muntjac threatening to leave his calling card of destruction on the ancient trees surrounding Gunby Hall. This month - how to banish garden invaders and get the best from August, a great month for garden maintenance!
we have another worry: Will Bambi make that same four legged jump I had just witnessed, to clear our fence and visit our vegetable gardens? Also was this a lone beastie or did it have a spouse and children? I quickly did a search on the internet and found out about the muntjac or barking deer. Apparently they do bark like dogs so I hadn’t been so wrong in my initial impression! They originate from China, where they are now quite rare. Introduced about 100 years ago to Woburn Abbey they inevitably escaped and soon naturalised. It is now estimated that a population of 100,000+ live in the south, central and eastern parts of Britain.
Words & Images: Paul Gray and Rob Davis.
As I walked to work the other morning I was alarmed to see a large, brown dog some 50 metres ahead of me, without an apparent owner and, worse, no lead. I froze and was deciding if I went with a nice doggy approach or found an alternative route. Suddenly the ‘dog’ leaped into the air with all four legs, turned tail and ran off into the fields. At this stage I realised that instead of a dog I’d had a fright over a deer, a muntjac to be precise. Suddenly the strange markings we had seen on some young tree stems made sense. We had joked that we maybe had a tiger running loose; having seen what looked like large cat scratching on the bark of young trees. But now
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So it does seem that our muntjac is part of a family rather than a singleton. Also they breed all year round rather than at specific times like red deer. It was a pleasant surprise to see this funny little deer, especially once I realised it was not a mad dog, I just hope it was on the way to somewhere else and has not taken up residence at Gunby!
The Muntjac was responsible for scratching the bark off our young trees... still,they’re not as bad as the rabbits we’re plagued with!
Take Five: Jobs for August 1. Deadhead flowers to ensure good growth next season. 2. Pots - ensure these are sufficiently watered, and if one should dry out, soak it for a few hours in reclaimed rainwater. 3. Clematis - ensure these are situated in the shade to keep them healthy. 4. Clean glasshouse windows and keep floors damp to promote maximum humidity. 4. Select and order spring-flowering bulbs.