The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1951-06-07
Unique Toy Deer
Face Extinction
In Their Motive
Florida Keys

tkepTint from Natural History
BY ROBERT p. ALLEN
Research Associate,
National audubon Society
Some years ago, in a restaurant
IN Key West, where Spanish yell
low rice, boyos (bollos), and tur-
tie steak were new and pleas
ant experience, l was astonished
ut the diminutive size of the
mounted deer heads displayed
here and there on the walls.
They seemed too small to be
real
My companion explained, rath-
er casually / thought. that these
we're heads of a little deer that
still inhabited certain of the
Lower Florida Keys. The eyes,
he went on, were the normal
size supplied to taxidefnists, but
quite obviously they were far too
lprge for these tiny heads, Even
the antlers were miniatures.
1T was my first trip TO the
Florida Keys, and by the time we
reached the boyos (bollos) and
the toy deer, | was completely
surfeited with extraordinary and
unheard-of natural wonders.
Many of them were difficult to
believe. II was possible to ac-
cept the region as subtropical,
but the improbable combination
of crocodiles, pink spoonbills, pi-
rate gold rock beauties, butterfly
fish, panthers-and now toy deer
seemed like too much to sWal-
low. in one day. After all, this
was Florida, U.S.A,, not the Great
Barrier Reef on the other side of
the globe. Or Africa, or the
Land Of the Golden Fleece.
Next day ! looked at some of
the heads more closely and found
them to be real enough. | also
talked with local people. who
told me that the tiny animals
have always been here" al
though the range was then linn
tied 20 few keys in the vicinity
of Big Pine Key, 90 miles north
cast Of Key West. Apparently
the deer were hunted in and out
of season and were greatly re-
duced In numbers. We visited
their habitat on Big Pine. and
after tramping through the pine
and palmetto, the mosquitoes and
heat. without seeing anything ex-
cept q few small tracks in the
mud of the road, we could agree
as TO their apparent rarity and
even wonder that these miniature
deer survived at all. Fires had
swept through the slash pine
CPinus caribaea) not too long be-
fore, leaving floor of bare, bad
Iy eroded rock and wide areas of
l,lackened trunks. There were
adjacent ridges of tropical button
wood tConocarpus erectal that
were free of fire damage, as were
the adjacent fringes of black and
red mangroves, but at first glance
il seemed poor environment.
At several places on the road
there were eloquent little heaps
az empty shotgun shells. some OF
them not even weathered.
During the next few years, an
effort was made by the National
Audubon Society to prevent the
shooting of the deer through the
cooperation of landowners and
state authorities, Educational
work was undertaken in Key
West. A bill was passed by the
state legislature giving temporary
protection, and ii was later re-
placed by game commission
regulation. Then came World
war RI, and our concern for the
deer. along with many other
projects of a similar nature, was
put aside. Only today, dozen
wears after our first interest IN
their predicament, are definite
steps being taken to learn more
of these unusual animals and TO
preserve them and their habitat,
What does the Key Deer look
like. and what are these little
animals doing in this isolated
and seemingly unfavorable en-
vironment? Many people have
asked these questions.
The Key Deer (Odocoileus vir-
ginianus clavium) is the smallest
Of the several races OF white
tailed deer. There are some who
believe that IL is sufficiently dit
ferent to be placed in a separate
category as distinct species, hu'
this is a problem for the sys-
tematists and is only OF academic
interest TO the conservationist
The fact that it is unlike our
ether native deer on so many
counts and that its complete de
striction would mean the eXtinc'
ton Of unique and fireplace
able form. is more than enough
to enlist our sympathy and ouI
strong interest in its survival.
In general appearance the heS
Deer looks like q dimlnu1lNa
,,h;tcta;l except that its proper