Whats the history of this boy? What percentage Meso? Cheers Khakibob My Persians are only six weeks ahead of Dama dama in antler cycle, why isn't he still in velvet up there? He looks like mine do at the moment on this half of the world.
You would think he would be in velvet or stripping his velvet this time of year at the earliest in the northern hemisphere.
As far as I'm aware the D. mesopotamica population in European zoos is pure - I've certainly never heard otherwise. An awful lot of natural phenomena are running a few weeks late in Britain this year due to the rather erratic weather (see http://www.zoochat.com/723/purple-emperor-fermyn-woods-22-07-a-280806/) so this may well be the same.
I don't think Deer Antler growth is ever weather-related, its more light-related/seasonal to my knowledge. There is a photo taken of this group(4.4) on this gallery taken when they first arrived here and I can't see antlers on any of them. I'm a bit surprised at West Midlands taking on this species, and the s/b folk allowing them to keep Persians when they have common fallow also.
Day length controls antler shedding and growth I believe. There is another photo of a fallow deer taken at the same time and put up here today also. It is in early velvet and the Messos could be up to 6 weeks ahead according to Khakibob. The antlers in this photo appear to be well rubbed and ready to shed, not growing.
Yes, I saw the other Fallow shot. I wouldn't expect any Fallow in the Northern Hemsphere to look like this(persian) buck in July- so a bit of a mystery here. As you said it doesn't look like the antlers are newly-clean of velvet either- more like older antler growth.
