Title
Indochinese Hog Deer Axis porcinus annamiticus on the brink of extinction
Author(s)
Brook, S.M.;Nasak, C.;Channa, P.
Published
2015
Publisher
Deer Specialist Group News (DSG Newsletter)
Abstract
The Hog deer Axis porcinus has undergone dramatic range-wide declines, largely unnoticed. The species has been extirpated from Lao PDR, Vietnam, and Thailand; it has been reintroduced to a number of protected areas in the latter, some of which require ongoing management, (controlled burning to prevent succession and maintain grassland) and control of livestock in grasslands. Cambodia now holds the only known wild populations of the Indochinese subspecies Axis porcinus annamiticus. Surveys conducted in 2013 confirmed five very small populations of A. p. annamiticus in Cambodia, all of which are outside protected areas and under heavy pressure from surrounding human populations. The conservation priorities for A. p. annamiticus are 1) formalize effective long-term protection at two sites (Andoung Teuk and Kratie) to conserve A. p. annamiticus and its habitat, as approved by the government and supported by local communities; 2) eliminate hunting of A. p. annamiticus and maintain two stable/growing populations at Andoung Teuk and Kratie, supported by local communities, and; 3) establish a secure and functioning local conservation breeding programme for A. p. annamiticus and mitigate the potential effects of small population size on the A. p. annamiticus population. These measures need to be implemented as a matter of urgency if extinction of this taxon is to be averted.

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PUB15429