Activity Schedule, Herd Dynamics and Management of Spotted Deer, Axis Axis (Erxleben, 1977): a Case Study in Zoological Garden, Alipore, Kolkata

A group of spotted deer consisting of all age and sex categories were observed for their activity schedule and herd formation at the Zoological garden, Kolkata. Scan sampling technique was used throughout the day for comparative analysis. Overall the spotted deer spent their time (Mean±SE) in feeding (male 29.72±7.4, female 30.46±5.2); resting (male 45.19±8.6, female 38.89±4.5); Walking (male 17.59±2.9, female 38.46±5.2) and social activities (male 7.5±1.3, female 6.85±1.09). The spotted deer spent a major portion of the time feeding between 9:00 hrs to 11:00 hrs and 16:00 hrs to 18:00 hrs. They showed a bimodal pattern when the temperatures was lower. Spotted deer devoted most of the time in resting between 11:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs. Results showed that the average mixed herd size was 10.36; average females-young herd 7.56, average all male herd size 7.37 and the average herd size of yearlings was 3.13. It was found that resting was directly proportional to the daily temperature while feeding was inversely proportional. It was also observed that the females were more active than males; they walked more and exhibited greater number of behavior/hour. Female devoted more time to foraging and interacting with other herd members and also in mutual groom more than males. Results suggest that it is likely to breed Spotted deer and reintroduce them to the wild and minimize the population size because behavioral stress resulting from poor captive conditions affects growth, reproduction and resistance to disease.