Florida’s Endangered Key Deer Survived Hurricane Irma—but Their Future Is Stormy

From climate change to kidnappings, the threats are adding up against these tiny, adorable cervids.

by Jason Bittel November 17, 2017

Way down in the Florida Keys live about 950 miniature relatives of the white-tailed deer. Since the last Ice Age 11,000 years ago, the species has become so adapted to island living that it has shrunk down to no more than 32 inches tall, about the height of a toddler. So when Hurricane Irma struck Florida in September, it’s no surprise that people were worried that the six-foot storm surge might sweep the tiny deer into the sea of extinction.

But these little guys are tougher than they look. In the two months since the storm, wildlife managers at the National Key Deer Refuge have determined that nearly all of the endangered Key deer survived. Just 21 of them died from storm-related causes, says Kristie Killam, a ranger for the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges, a group of four refuges spread among the islands.

https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/floridas-endangered-key-deer-survived-hurricane-irma-their-future-stormy

Posted on January 26, 2018 04:33 AM by jaykeller