Sambar Deer

Common Name: Sambar Deer

Family Name: Cervidae

Scientific Name: Rusa Unicolor

Shoulder Height: 1.5m

Weight: 500kg

Lifespan: 15 years

Gestation: 245 days

Young: 1 to 2 per year

Status: Introduced, Not Protected​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Weaned: (pre-rut) 3 to 4 months, (post-rut) 7 - 8 months​

Background: Sambar deer originate from India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

Breeding: Sambar deer have less distinct seasons but generally give birth during the spring.

Impacts: Agricultural production by eating pasture, crops and forestry saplings and damaging fences and infrastructure. Autumn marks the ‘rut’ or breeding season for feral deer, bringing increased risks to people, livestock, and the environment. During this time, male deer (bucks) become highly aggressive as they search for mates. They clash with rivals, damage trees, churn up paddocks, and wallow in waterways, causing serious environmental degradation. They can also potentially carry foot-and-mouth disease and parasites that can be transmitted to livestock and can also pose a risk to human health through zoonotic diseases like leptospirosis.

Sambar are the largest of the deer species in Australia, and are sometimes mistaken for a Rusa deer. Both have a dark brown coat, large rounded ears, and a tail that is raised over the back when disturbed.

Sambar and Hog deer are mostly located in South Eastern Victoria.