Rucervus schomburgki

The Xiong's deer is 160-180 cm long, about 130 cm tall, with a tail length of 12-20 cm and a weight of 200-220 kg. Its fur is reddish brown, so it is also called "red deer". Its fur is very short and has no fluff. Because of the large white spots on its buttocks, it is also called "white-butt deer". The Xiong's deer has large horns, with the main branch reaching up to 110 cm in length and the maximum width between the two horns being 120 cm. The distribution of the horns is very complex and very beautiful.

The Xiong's deer is distributed in southwestern Thailand and other places, so it is also called Siamese deer (Siam is the old name of Thailand). The Xiong's deer lives in swamp areas.

Schomburgki (scientific name: Rucervus schomburgki) is a species of deer native to Thailand. It is the only species of red deer that does not migrate. This is because they live in the tropical rainforest in southwestern Thailand, where vegetation is lush all year round and they can get enough food without any migration. They usually move in small groups, each with its own fixed range of activities. There are mostly female deer and young deer in the group, while adult male deer live alone. They mainly feed on young shoots, twigs and weeds of plants, and often go to salty wetlands to eat sweet salts and even eat the mud in them. They are very vigilant and often use their keen sense of smell to smell whether there is any odor in the air. If there is any abnormality, they will evacuate quickly.

Like China, Thailand has a long tradition of using animals and plants as medicine. The antlers of Xiong's deer have always been considered as precious medicinal materials, so Xiong's deer have been hunted by humans for a long time. However, the ancient hunting method did not significantly reduce the number of Xiong's deer. The real reason for the extinction of Xiong's deer was the entry of British and French colonial rulers in the late 19th century. After they came to Thailand, they were immediately attracted by the majestic antlers of male Xiong's deer, so they began to hunt Xiong's deer in large numbers, cut off their antlers and hung them on the wall as decorations. They not only liked antlers, but also venison became their favorite meat, so female deer and young deer were also doomed. With the continuous sound of gunfire, Xiong's deer quickly went extinct. 1930 was the last year that people could hunt Xiong's deer. At this time, there were still two male deer in the Bangkok Zoo in Thailand, but they could no longer reproduce and died one after another in 1932. Since then, all Xiong's deer have become extinct.

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