Little Deer of the Florida Keys

If you have visited the Florida keys, you may have spied a small deer hidden among mangrove roots or standing statue-like under a palmetto tree. Was it a fawn? More likely it was a full-grown deer -- the smallest of its kind in North America. Since the Ice Age, key deer have thrived in this tropical habitat. Sharks, crocodiles, hurricanes, and droughts only sharpened their survival instincts. In recent years, however, man's activities -- hunting and land development -- nearly wiped out the herd. When no more than 25 deer could be counted, alarmed conservationists went into action. They waged a ten-year battle that saved America's smallest deer.