Javan rusa

The Javan rusa or Sunda sambar (Rusa timorensis) is a deer native to the islands of Java, Bali and Timor (shared with East Timor) in Indonesia. It is also an introduced species in Irian Jaya, Borneo (Kalimantan), the Lesser Sunda Islands, Maluku, Sulawesi, Pohnpei, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Christmas Islands, Cocos Islands, Nauru, Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, New Britain and New Ireland.

Habitat

It occupies a habitat similar to that of the Chital of India: open dry and mixed deciduous forests, parklands, and savannas. It is a close relative of the larger sambar deer. It is moderately hunted in eastern Australasia.

Rusa deer have established populations in remote islands, probably brought there by Indonesian fishermen. They adapt well, living as comfortably in the dry Australian bush as they do in their tropical homelands. This trait is shown well in the more frequent encounters on the fringes of Wollongong and Sydney, and in particular in the Royal National Park, indicating steadily growing numbers and strong herds.