Mating call of stags are being heard in mountain valleys of Killarney

The primal mating cry of Japanese Sika deer is already being heard in the mountain valleys of Killarney, heralding the start of the so-called rutting season.

Sika in Killarney National Park and surrounding lands start to mate in September, while the native red deer, with which they share this habitat, don’t get down to business until October.

We heard the first cry of a Sika stag last week — a sort of piercing scream repeated a few times — which is very different to the loud, echoing roar of red stags. Red deer are bigger and the Sika can also be identified from white patches on the rump which become bigger when a Sika becomes frightened.