National Key Deer Refuge: An Endangered Wonderland
As the heir to a forest kingdom it’s not likely Bambi ever met his Key deer cousins living in the tropics. But you can when you stop in at the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key.
Key deer are a subspecies of the Virginia white-tailed deer. The Key deer’s soft, doe eyes, dark amber color and small stature make it very striking. Bucks only weigh an average of 80 pounds – about the the size of a big dog.
Beyond their natural beauty, Key deer are cherished for another reason: They’re an endangered species. It’s why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stepped in to save them more than 50 years ago.
The National Key Deer Refuge was established in 1954, when the deer population had reached a low of 27. Today, the refuge consists of 9,000 acres of land on 23 islands and almost 76,000 acres of co-managed waters in the Lower Keys.
At last count there were between 600 and 800 Key deer. Admirers often make the mistake of feeding the deer from the roadside, which makes vehicular deaths the highest mortality cause among Key deer.
Refuge staff monitor the deer for medical needs, habitat restoration and enhancement, as well as behavior and population density. But it’s not just deer who benefit from the refuge. It is also considered home to tropical hardwood hammocks and pinelands and 22 other endangered and threatened species of plants and animals.
Today, more than 90,000 annual visitors are welcomed to the refuge. It is open to visitors throughout the day, but the best viewing times are probably dawn and dusk at the far end of Key Deer Boulevard and Watson Boulevard on No Name Key.
Most often, visitors come to see the deer, but stay to enjoy everything else the refuge has to offer. Check out the old freshwater-filled quarry, now called the Blue Hole, or journey down one of two nature trails leading visitors through the hardwood hammock and pinelands.
An administrative and visitors center is located just off U.S. 1 on Key Deer Boulevard.
Posted on Jan 19, 2011 by Christine Foster
