Sika deer

The sika is a graceful deer with white speckles, originally roaming across East Asia from Japan to Vietnam. Hunted nearly to extinction last century, these deer bounced back thanks to conservation laws. Today they thrive in forests and grasslands, their spotted coats blending into dappled sunlight.

• Their coat has white spots that fade in winter.
• They were almost wiped out by overhunting in the 1800s.
• Protection laws helped populations recover by the 1980s.