The roe deer is referred to as a deer, but is a very different species from the red deer, for instance. It is much smaller than the red deer, more elegant, and has beautiful big, dark eyes. Roe deer prefer large open areas on which to graze.
These areas must also provide shelter in case the animals need to flee. Roe deer are herbivores and eat buds, leaves, herbs, and soft grasses. The park is home to some 300 roe deer.
Only the males have antlers, which they shed every winter. The deer begin regrowing antlers immediately after they shed them. The antlers are fully mature in March or April. Once mature, the velvet that covers them begins to itch as it dies. This itching prompts the roe deer to rub their antlers on trees to remove the velvet.
In July and August the males, known as bucks, mark their territory and defend it from other bucks. The females, or doe, also have their own territory. The calves are born in May or June and spend a year with their mothers.
Bucks live alone or in small groups known as a bevy. In the winter months they often live alongside a doe and her calf. The doe often has one or more calves with her.
| Male weight: | 20-30 kg |
| Female weight: | 18-27 kg |
| Length: | 90-130 cm |
| Flank height: | 65-70 cm |
| Mating season: | Mid-July to mid-August |
| Gestation period: | Approximately 10.5 months |
| Number of young: | 1-3, usually 2 |
| Name of adult male: | Buck |
| Name of adult female: | Doe |
| Name of young: | Calf |
| Name of year-old roe deer: | Yearling doe or yearling buck |