Dybowski deer or Sika deer were originally distributed only in Japan, Taiwan, China and the Amur area. However, they have now been naturalized in many other countries. You can find them in European forests, Texas and even in Australia, New Zealand and Madagascar.
The subspecies Dybowski Hirsch was originally observed in the Amur and Ussuri area in eastern Siberia. There, they were almost eradicated. In 1875, they were introduced in New Zealand and later in Australia. These deer are very tough and resilient and find their way in various environments. Meanwhile, you can also find Japanese Sika deer in our German forests. You see them especially in those areas where the larger red deer do not occur. Sikas were even included in the German hunting law and enjoy the same season as the fallow deer. In Europe, they are not as new as you might initially suspect: In the early geological history, the arrived around the same time as us. It is believed that they were displaced by the stronger and larger red deer.
