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In the 19th Century it was fashionable among the landed gentry to introduce exotic animals to large estates. The sika or cervus japonicus were brought to Brownsea from Japan when the island was owned by an MP named Major Kenneth Balfour.

The deer were not contained and a failure to realise that deer can swim meant itÌýwasn't long before they made it ashore to the mainland. Many made the crossing in 1934 to escape a terrible fire which swept across the island.

By the 1970s some of the deer had swum back and their population on Brownsea has grown since then. Many instead set up home in the woodlands and heaths of the Purbecks and in particular the Arne peninsula, on the shores of Poole Harbour.Ìý

David Kenyon of the British Deer Society said, "They've settled into a habitat which suits them. They enjoy the woodland. They forage very well in scrubland and once they're out in the British countryside they do very well."

Habitat damage

Sika deer can grow up to 120cm tall, weigh up to 60kg and have a lifespan of about 15 years. They have a red-brown coat and the stags have antlers which are shed in the spring.

They co-exist alongside native deer such as roe and fallow but they cause considerable damage to young trees.

This has been a particular problem at the RSPB reserve on the Arne peninsula which was established to protect the Dartford Warbler. Much of their habitat was destroyed by the wandering deer and that put the birds which were under protection at risk.

A management plan is now in place at Arne to ensure a comfortable existence for both
birds and deer.

Deer tracking

The sika are not now confined to Brownsea or the Arne peninsula. With escapees from Brownsea and another collection introduced to Hyde House near Wareham, colonies of deer have now gone as far west as Dorchester and into the New Forest.

A research project by a team at Bournemouth University is now underway to track them using special collars with GPS technology.ÌýÌý

The rut

The sika is not an aggressive species, except during the rutting season which takes place in the autumn. The stags have a distinctive whistle and will fight each other for the female. Anyone getting too close at this time risks being set upon.

David Kenyon from the British Deer Society has this advice; "All species of deer are fairly secretive. Although those at Arne and Brownsea have become used to humans they are still wild animals and that should be bourne in mind particularly with the rut at this time of year. Don't approach a stag."

A century on,Ìýthe landowner who brought the sika to Brownsea might be surprised to discover just how far they have ventured. They may not be native to Dorset but they've certainly made themselves at home here.