Observational Study on Reproductive Behavior in Semi-Wild Sambar Deer (Rusa unicolor) for Wildlife Conservation and Assisted Reproductive Management

Abstract

Understanding the reproductive behaviors of different wildlife species is essential to unravel their reproductive strategies, ecological adaptations, and conservation requirements. This study delved into the reproductive biology of the sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), with a focus on promoting assisted reproductive technology for wildlife conservation and investigating the reproductive behaviors of male and female sambar deer. The study was conducted at Pusat Konservasi Hidupan Liar (PKHL) Sungkai, Perak, Malaysia. The observation focused on one male and two female sambar deer. Direct observations of the deer were conducted for 14 days in September 2022. The direct observations were performed in the morning (Session 1= 8-10 am), afternoon (Session 2 = 10-12 pm), and evening (Session 3= 3-5 pm), using the instantaneous sampling method. A total of 75 behavior instances were recorded, in which male deer exhibited the most reproductive behavior at 58 instances (77.3% of the total reproductive behavior). Successful mating was observed on day 6, elucidating a crepuscular preference in the male animal in exhibiting reproductive behavior. The female’s reproductive behavior lasted for a short period, from 24 hours for Female 2 and 72 hours for Female 1. In conclusion, there was a distinct behavior between the male and female deer during the rutting season. Understanding the reproductive behavior to estimate the length of estrus can be useful as a non-invasive tool to detect heat and can be considered to improve breeding management and implement assisted reproductive technology.