ON THE QUESTION OF HYBRIDIZATION OF RED DEER (CERVUS ELAPHUS SIBIRICUS) AND SIKA DEER (CERVUS NIPPON) IN THE NATIONAL PARK "STATE COMPLEX "ZAVIDOVO"
Acclimatization of red deer and sika deer in the national park «State Complex «Zavidovo» began in the ﬁrst half of the 20th century. Stable populations of species were formed by the 70s of the XX century. In the conditions of thenational park, certain preconditions have developed for interspeciﬁc hybridization of deer. Species with variousphenotypic deviations are periodically detected on the territory under consideration. It is suggested that atypicalexternal features are evidence of hybridization between sika and red deer. The process of partial domestication is noted as a probable additional and catalytic factor inﬂuencing the phenotypic characteristics of deer. There is a need for further more detailed and primarily genetic research.