Climate change is threatening Florida's Key deer

Questions remain as to how much effort should be put into saving the animals

A Key deer crosses the road in the Florida Keys.
There are estimated to be about 800 Key deer left in the Florida Keys
(Image credit: Jeffrey Greenberg / Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

As the United States continues to feel the effects of global warming and rising sea levels, there is renewed concern for the Key deer, a species native to the Florida Keys who could be pushed to cataclysmic levels by environmental change. The animal is the smallest deer species in North America — adults stand at just 30 inches tall.

Key deer have been dwindling in numbers throughout the 2010s. There has been a push by conservationists to promote the deer and grow their numbers; but with continued habitat loss from climate change — a factor that is unlikely to improve — some experts are wondering whether the so-called 'real-life Bambi' can be saved at all.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Justin Klawans, The Week US

 Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.