Yezo sika deer Yezo sika deer The Yezo sika deer ("Cervus nippon yesoensis)" is one of the many subspecies of the sika deer. The sika that inhabit the island of Hokkaido are indigenous, although it is not known whether they originated there or migrated from the main island of Japan. Is it thought they may have traveled across the strait between the islands. The indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido have hunted them for centuries and relied on them as a major food source. The Hokkaido sika one is the largest of the sika species with large stags approaching and sometimes exceeding 200 kg
Sika deer suitable for farming and other human exploitation. Their range encompasses some of the most densely populated areas in the world, where forests were cleared hundreds of years ago. Their population status varies significantly in different countries. Although the species as a whole is thriving, it is endangered and extinct in many areas. Japan has by far the largest native sika population in the world. Though the exact population is uncertain, it is likely to be in the hundred thousand range and is still increasing, mainly due to recent conservation efforts and the extinction of its main predator, the wolf ("Canis