Rusa did eventually make it
across the Wallace Line, but not
without assistance. The first
evidence of rusa from Lombok and
Timor dates back only about 4,500
years ago. There can be little doubt
that these animals were introduced
to the islands by humans. While
Lombok, Timor and the other
islands on which rusa are now
found were nominally host to
Australia’s marsupials, many of the
islands had relatively little native
fauna and prehistoric peoples
apparently introduced the deer to
provide a source of food.
Rusa could have been introduced
to Australia by the same means.
But they were not. Perhaps rusa6 4 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ MAY 20185
release in Australia, to the south of
Sydney and on the islands of Torres
Strait. But rusa were a “sleeper”
species. In recent years, sloppy deer
farming practices and deliberate
releases have seen rusa and other
deer species spread much further
afield. In eastern Australia, west of
the ranges, rusa appear to have
found their niche and give every
indication that they are here to stay.
In my part of southern Queensland,
wet or dry, summer heat or winter
frosts, the rusa survive and thrive.
They appear to have slotted into the
ecosystem just above the kangaroos
and wallabies – but not too far
above. When times are tough, rusa
may battle on at the expense of the
marsupials, not just because they
can make use of rougher forage, but
because they are able to browse
vegetation at higher levels and feed
on water weed as well. Therein lies
the problem.
The next time I saw the stag who
had been parading with a rack full
of vegetation it was under different
circumstances. It was a frosty
morning hunt, not far from home,
when I found him feeding with a
mob of half a dozen mixed hinds
and young. After a brief stalk he
presented me with a broadside
view and the Sako .308 Winchester
did the rest.
He had a good head – a quick
measure said 31 inches on the
right and about 29 on the left. The
left tine was broken at the top, but
that only gave the head some
character. This was a stag who
had fought for his hinds. But he
was a trophy that left me with
mixed feelings.
I could not help thinking that
things might have been so different.
If any deer species could claim a
right to be in Australia because of
geographical proximity, it is the
rusa. And if any deer species was
so adaptable and looked so at home
in Australia, that too is the rusa.
So spare a thought for the rusa.
If they had arrived earlier they
would have carved out their niche
and would now be considered a
native. But because they arrived
later and have a supreme ability to
compete, the rusa will now be seen
as an environmental threat.Rusa remained
conined to the
areas of their
initial release in
Australia, to the
south of Sydney.”
65
A young stag
with hinds.
The hind on the
right is heavily
pregnant.6
Succulent
water weed is
an at tractive
alternative when
dry grass is the
only other option.
Kangaroos and
wallabies do not
make use of this
valuable food
resource.TR AIL CAM IMAGE
DEER
HUNTINGwere only introduced where no
comparable large animal food was
available. In Australia, kangaroos
and wallabies were sufficient to
meet that need.
But what if rusa had made it to
Australia that way? They would
now have the same status as the
dingo – not a species that evolved
in Australia, but classed as a
native nevertheless.
And if rusa had made it to
Australia, would they have slipped
back into the savannah living ways
they enjoyed on the Sunda Shelf?
The rusa have answered that
question themselves.
For a long time, rusa remained
confined to the areas of their initialON THIS
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