PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS, MORPHOMETRY, AND HERD STRUCTURE OF BORNEAN SAMBAR DEER (RUSA UNICOLOR BROOKEI) UNDER EX SITU CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT IN EAST KALIMANTAN, INDONESIA
Keywords:
Rusa unicolor brookei, ex situ conservation, heat load, herd structure, morphometryAbstract
Ex situ herds hold Bornean sambar deer (Rusa unicolor brookei), a Vulnerable species, yet physiological and demographic data from these herds are scarce. We combined 2021–2025 census records from UPTD PTHPT Api-Api in East Kalimantan, a published physiological cohort of 23 young deer (8 males, 15 females), morphometric data from three studies, and one longitudinal intake and haematology record. We recalculated herd indices, compared the sexes from summary statistics with Welch's t-test and Hedges' g, and checked each dataset for internal consistency. Rectal temperature was 39.66 °C in males and 39.55 °C in females, respiration 64.4 and 56.4 breaths min−1, and pulse 94.5 and 88.6 beats min−1. Males exceeded females in respiration (g = 1.68) and pulse (g = 2.86), but the deer had been driven into a handling crush, so handling arousal and heat load overlap. Reported herd size was 188 in 2021 and 2025, with a peak of 217 in 2023. Documented transfers explain 62% of the 2023–2025 decline. Fawns per adult or young female fell from 1.02 to 0.50, and category sums differed from reported totals in 2022 (+2) and 2025 (−3). Yearling female deer reached 62–68% of adult body length across studies but 86–88% in one study, while head and ear ratios agreed, suggesting inconsistent measurement definitions. The recorded packed cell volume contradicted haemoglobin and erythrocyte counts. The herd persists under ex situ management, but the data neither show adaptation nor test endurance. Individual-level registries, standardised morphometry, and low-handling monitoring with microclimate logs are needed.
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