{"id":309,"date":"2017-03-27T15:23:15","date_gmt":"2017-03-27T15:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/whydidthedeercrosstheroad.langbeinwildlife.co.uk\/?p=309"},"modified":"2023-09-23T06:21:36","modified_gmt":"2023-09-23T05:21:36","slug":"dexter-the-dexterous-deer-who-learned-to-use-his-antlers-as-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whydidthedeercrosstheroad.langbeinwildlife.co.uk\/?p=309","title":{"rendered":"Wild Exmoor stag learns to use antlers as tools"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The wily Exmoor stag that learned to use his antlers as tools<\/p>\n

When researching and filming red deer in the urban fringe over the past two years (see my previous blog<\/a>) one particular stag always stood out for his intelligence, dexterity and constant twinkle in his eye ! In one video clip featured widely on BBC TV and other media during March, I\u2019d filmed him dislodging bird feeders in gardens on the edge of the Exmoor National Park in Somerset. \"Startled<\/a> The intriguing thing about this however is not merely to have a stag in a garden pinching food from a bird feeder, but the very intricate way this stag gradually \u2018learned\u2019  to use his antlers to unhook the feeders.  Not least as hoofed animals (ungulates) are not generally regarded as the brainiest among mammals. I\u2019d observed a number of other stags in the past simply thrashing their antlers against bird feeders, scattering a few seeds on the ground now and again.  But in the amusing trimmed version of my clip with audio as used by the BBC Instagram<\/a>  it shows this old wily stag actually using the tip of his antlers to lift feeders off the tree branches they were hooked on to.  In the first part of the clearer full size youtube clip (below) you can see the feeder being  seen to smash open on the deer\u2019s back, though this was far from a one off.<\/p>\n

\"Krypton\"<\/a>
“Wily old stag uses antlers to dislodge bird feeders”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having set up cameras by several bird feeders in nearby gardens. the wily old stag i named ‘Cedar’ managed the trick increasingly quickly; but normally once dislodged then he would paw at the feeder on the ground until the lid snapped off and then ate the contents.   \"Red<\/a>