With the population of kyon miniature deer rapidly on the rise in Chiba Prefecture — and inflicting significant damage on local crops — local businesses and hunters are making efforts to use their hides for leather.
Authorities have long been culling kyon, designated as an invasive species, and business owners and hunters started using their hides to create luxury products made of leather.
According to the Chiba Prefectural Government, kyon are native to China and Taiwan. They have also been found in Japan’s Izu Oshima island south of Tokyo. In Chiba, it is believed that kyon bred in the wild after a few escaped from a tourist facility in the city of Katsuura between 1960 and 1980.