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The Daily News, 1997
History of deer in St. Croix
goes back many years
One day, I was alls o long .tbe rc f om 1739 to 1751 me ntioned
ridge of Wills Boy observing Se wildlife on St. Coo lon his book
.at- at o beot. The birds aiong h But e hnver mentioned the deer.
htgh Ithe tine; nti 0 about Davis Probably be=u. he did no t
Belr doily work; tromtlea busy O any don d ng his on tho
building their omes; frogs echo. I d. Or becan M e te der ws
lan ntof. rol" Ztew :Mefodlf- i introduced after 1751 when
forest colon flynlg 1i bh. wind; R. Kimert H age. loflt t Islanod
insects of various kinds do what for Def art w
ome natural; 0d lizard. .eem was Identlified 1 Odocoll.u. vir. ,f .
py, Iutey c be.0 gimsnmus. bItlter ktCow. s hit- Regardles of ithe ntloduction
ot Vir w o e os inia deaeor origt of the St. Coix deerus, the
From the baths of Willo Beay, I vie Vrgin doer. 0,08faom the vCry bedlnor th
decided to hike over o Annal y Wh a, w the deo leodncod 1? olb. t 007d.b Theo lSd
B cy. Along the o0nt of this bhio. t51.Cr0x17 0io 10 iarero wol. tte mildS C.
Tfeu part of St. Cmix. I found a Harry A. Beatly, former climate, rich oil, open plaint..
deer cauras laying oa the rocks. Wildlife Soupirsor for 10h Virgin rolling hills and amply covered
Th cause of death could be wild Islonds. sted, "id apperbs that lut vegetaton of So. Croie rde
dog., from a disease of some ort very scant records wore kept and It ideal place for der country.
which I tend not to believe, or certelnly ong definite in any of Vi I' m oofth
fom someone who took the liberty thee that would indicate the origi Th fd C n. 100is. ono.h e
of lf1in8 aninnOCentaniomal. of the deer previous o l0 lntro 0 w c000n i. wt dri.
Tb2. 8at GeorgeA. Seaman, lon to SL. Cro01." The Odocome. deer s1 medom
Crucial naturalist, wa a auong Mr. Beaoy oonoeat by oyiag to emoll dodlg 1 spie.
advocate of deerprol.ecion on Sl. he found what hbe eoldeed T. y -dMhemog 00c0108u dol.
C0lx. 1i wo Senaan'a5 eareach on inconclsiv refereoooe 10100ro- 1ment of thh dr hmlly. Aoftle
deer in the Virgin laaad., part co. duction of the deer to St. Crole ob'oteo ico 1 i 1 0.1s
Marly on St. Crolx, that we have among eome old Colonial record. oly,' w1hi abed amually. oIn lc.
some hisory loday about dooeer oftlheDalo 7 teait.Ter- I fud two oelle. o. Meroo.
ecology I the Virgsin 1and'. Sea. crnesi paco. -0 l o0n0 prior ridge onoye o.
man even wrote book entitled, to he 1790. The St. C0olx deer alo has a
A short history of 1the De of Sa Other 0 .eak.s in Ihe 100 0 ar10 distintollve tall with white
Crox. menloned that five ders were mocooth; no gall bladder; and
brought to S. Cri by pain for d mam- The 0o0g are
It was 1957 when So...eaman a schooner, which were trading pod&
wrol. to Walter A. Gordon, then between the West ndies and the A lypical wite-tailedo mate deer
governor of the Virgin Islands. American. is 72 Ibhe in legt; the tall Is six
about the St. Croix deer. Soeama Inches; the hied foot Is 19 1/4
stated. "-in this report, I have From Mr. BeaIy's lieralreto on inches; and the ear l1 lve ad one-.
tallempted to write a short history the resarch on the Introductlon of half inches. The height at the
of he deer of St. Coix. It should the deer to St. Croix, It seems to shoulder a aboo three leel.
be of some value since hitherto indicate that the deer Is more
nothliog has been written on the closly related to the soulbern Toe fea deer aeame aout
ubjct. nitd Sateas region. a quarter less thsa the male. An
These e fin.e animal. r. the t If we ame that the dou. thorn to1 l0 ponds' depo.ig
greatest1 wildlife resource of the metns fond among the old Colo- oavalhllty of foodthoogbeou
island. Knowing their history may mnl records of Ihe Danish gove"n- thy oen.
help to bring about an udersand. meont Is true, hben the deer ha.
log of their requirements for inhabited the island or 167 year. iMon doe. we=gh brtere, 70
incrs.se and emvival." We definitely know from Jame to 0 po Of 'oo, thoe a,.
Smith writing that the deer lived In excepS!em 1 the wolg.L Thl o.
The St. Croix deer Is not native. St Croix's forest for about 116 Ocurhsry of the S t. C0o0 door
From its general physical ch0r-0 years. toIn the 1840., Jame Smith, willcoot
teislcs, iI appears the deer came stated, "The wild deer inhbtls the
from the southern Itn" of the Unit. mounteaiousopersofthbIlaonod." o it D .w" & a. mane
ed States. A specimen of the deer ri s a ... formo
was0ent to the Smihsoan Instlm. Relmaert H.geosen, a Daniesh 'eo.ot mr oooi., 1 so
lution to be Idoentified. The deer planter who lived on St. Croiz Criwooo iSof ulrior
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