Sunday, January 22, 2006

Florida Keys deer -"Key Deer"

For those of you unaware, on Big Pine Key there is an endangered species of deer known as the Key Deer and there are perhaps 4 or 5 hundred of them. They are considerably smaller versions of what we see in Michigan and are pretty much tame as visitors feed them even though they are not supposed to. The biggest danger to them is the traffic on US 1 and while fences help (as well the radar traps too I might add) the death toll each year is about a 100. We witnessed a small mishap, actually the aftermath, when fisheries and wildlife rescued a small buck after it had been hit. They really took a lot of care in handling him while taking him to a vet.
I will try and get a few pictures of these mild manner deer when we visit No Name Key where they seem to congregate.