Schomburgk’s Deer and International Commerce Centre

Schomburgk’s Deer : Extinct in 1938  

International Commerce Centre : 484m, Hong Kong, China  

 

 

 

Schomburgk’s Deer and International Commerce Centre_76x57cm_watercolor on paper_2014

 

 

Native to Thailand, Schomburgk's deer had very big, beautiful antlers. In the latter part of the 19th century, much of the grasslands and swamp habitats of Schomburgk's deer in the central plain of Thailand were transformed into rice paddies. Widely sought after as an ingredient in Oriental medicine, the deer’s antler was highly prized by hunters. Because of excessive hunting of the deer in the late 19th century and the early 20th century, Schomburgk's deer completely died out in the wild. When the plains flooded during the rainy season, the deer became isolated on higher ground. Hunters took full advantage of this situation and were able to easily hunt the deer down with spears while boating around the flooded plains. The last Schomburgk's deer in the wild was shot to death in 1932, and the last captive individual died in 1938. There is only one mounted specimen, currently in the Museum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris.