Hog deer
Axis porcinus
Seen by the oracleIts power
It doesn’t jump over obstacles, it goes under them. Head down, it pushes through grass so tall that nothing else gets in.
Estimated wild population
Fewer than 4,000 adults
Trend
Severely declining
Range
Bangladesh / India / Pakistan / Nepal
Main threat
Habitat loss and damage, hunting and poaching, floods and dams
Meet it
It really exists. It is waiting for you at the Parc Animalier d’Auvergne.
The hog deer gets its name from its stocky body and its special way of moving: head down through thick plants, like a pig running from danger. Its dark brown coat, with light spots on the young, hides it very well in the tall grass of river plains. It is an excellent swimmer and will dive into rivers to escape predators. It is mostly active at dawn and dusk. It is declining mainly because it is losing its natural home (flood plains are being turned into farmland) and because it is hunted. It is protected by law in Bangladesh and India.
What the Park does
Legal protection in Bangladesh and India, cross-border nature reserves