LET'S GO WILDLIFE
WATCHING

VISITING THE FLORIDA KEY DEER

PHOTO
AND REVIEW BY ANNE MULLER

Florida is such a gem. I never tire of the beautiful
wildlife. This year we had the good fortune to stay in Key Largo. What was nice about Key Largo was that it was a) affordable! and b) it
was near the Everglades National Park, Shark Valley, Coconut Grove, and the other Keys. I had always heard about the key deer, but had never had the opportunity to see them in person. Why did I think they were the size of Chihuahuas? No, no, no! They're somewhat smaller than a small doe from our neck of the woods, but they are not microscopic, you WILL see them, promise. The trick is to go during dawn or dusk when they are out and about. If you go at night, you won't be able to see anything, and they tend to hunker down during the day to stay out of the hot sun and, probably, avoid human activity. As neighborhoods have been built in what used to be exclusively their home, you will have to tour the neighborhood streets to see them on No Name Key. I'm assuming that the people who live with the deer have become quite used to them, and, as well, used to the tourists who drive slowly up and down their streets to catch a glimpse of the deer. In speaking to one resident, who suggested that we wait several hours longer to see the deer, it was clear that everyone loved and accepted the deer in their midst; and the feeling seemed to be mutual. The deer were quite relaxed as they crossed the roads and meandered past houses. Not having been harmed in those areas, they were very friendly - a wildlife watcher's dream. Why should animals have to live in fear? There are patches of woods between and behind houses, but basically Key deer habitat these days is in neighborhoods. While there were several pocket parks to visit, the deer were either very well hidden or not there.

Judging by the debris left behind in one park that we self-visited, my guess is that the deer felt safer in areas that had more human oversight. Although it wasn't the forested habitat that I anticipated, rather asphalt and houses, I still highly recommend that you pay a visit to the Key deer when you get to southern Florida. It's only a couple of hours from Miami, it's on
the way to Key West, and it's close enough to the Everglades so that you can build the detour into your travels. We saw the deer on No Name Key, but the deer easily swim from island to island, so you will see them on other Keys as well. IT'S RATHER DAUNTING TO REALIZE THAT IT'S THE ONLY PLACE ON EARTH WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE LITTLE KEY DEER! Visit: http://www.fws.gov/nationalkeydeer/na tional_map.html