Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 April 2009
Calamian deer, which are found only in the Philippine Islands, have been so reduced in numbers over the last thirty years that unless hunting can be controlled, they are doomed to extinction. This is Ian Grimwood's conclusion after his 1975 survey which was aided by an Oryx 100% Fund grant. The deer have no enemy but man. There was no hunting during the Japanese occupation, and at the end of the Japanese war numbers were quite high. Since then increased hunting pressure has led to an accelerating decline, with more and more people hunting fewer and fewer deer. Today Ian Grimwood suggests the maximum number cannot be over 900 animals, and is probably much less, and extinction is certain unless action is taken. The following are extracts from the report: