Visayan spotted deer

Visayan spotted deer[1]
At the Edinburgh Zoo, Edinburgh, Scotland
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Cervidae
Subfamily:	Cervinae
Genus:	Rusa
Species:	R. alfredi
Binomial name
Rusa alfredi (Sclater, 1870)
Synonyms
Cervus alfredi Sclater, 1870

The Visayan spotted deer (Rusa alfredi), also known as the Visayan deer, the Philippine spotted deer^[3] or Prince Alfred's deer, is a small, endangered, primarily nocturnal species of deer found in the rainforests of the Visayan Islands of Panay and Negros. It once was found across other islands, such as Cebu, Guimaras, Leyte, Masbate, and Samar. It is one of three endemic deer species found in the Philippines, although it was not recognized as a separate species until 1983. An estimated 2,500 mature individuals survived worldwide in 1996, according to the IUCN; today’s surviving wild number is uncertain. The diet of the deer, which consists of a variety of different types of grasses, leaves, and buds within the forest, is the primary indicator of its habitat. Since 1991, the range of the species has severely decreased and is now almost co-extensive with that of the Visayan warty pig.

In April 2009, an expedition team of British and Filipino mountaineers and scientists discovered evidence of two separate groups of deer in the North Negros Natural Park. These signs (scat and feeding sites) were believed to be the first scientific evidence of the deer's activity for over 25 years. It is estimated that 300 animals survive on the island of Negros. Conservation efforts are currently underway, with the intention of preserving the remaining population, but have been poorly funded and supported.

In 2012, the Negros Interior Biodiversity Expedition used camera traps in the centre of the North Negros Natural Park to take the first photos of the species in the wild.