The Père David’s Deer is making a comeback, as a fawn was just born in Southern California.
The male fawn was born at the San Diego Zoo on April 8 and is the first of its kind to be born at the zoo’s Safari Park in 22 years, according to officials.
“In the first one to two weeks of life, the fawn’s mother kept him hidden, just as she would in native habitats. She visited the fawn several times throughout the day to groom and nurse until he was strong enough to keep up with the rest of the herd,” the San Diego Zoo explained in a media release. “He is now exploring the expansive Asian Plains habitat alongside the other species that live there, including other deer, antelope, wild cattle, and rhinoceros.”
Père David’s Deer, which are native to China, were facing extinction by the 19th century due to floods, war and hunting, although a few were kept on the personal grounds of the Chinese Emperor. They were introduced to the Western world by Père (Father) Armand David, for whom the species is named in the West; it is known as milu in China.
David was able to expatriate some of the deer to European zoos where they bred successfully, but according to the San Diego Zoo, the European herds dwindled during World War II due to disease and lack of food. One herd, however, survived; it was owned by Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford, and offspring from the herd were sent to zoos across the world, essentially saving the species from extinction.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies Père David’s Deer (Elaphurus davidianus) as Extinct in the Wild and the species has been on their Red List of Threatened Species since 2016. Although the deer have been reintroduced into the wild and are slowly growing in population – there are now 53 herds in China, per IUCN – the species remains on the Red List due to concerns about the population’s long term viability.
World-renowned zoologist Jane Goodall spoke about her experience with Père David’s Deer in her book “Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink,” calling the species “magnificent” and reminiscing on a time where she visited the duke’s estate to view them.
“The first time I was able to see this rare and beautiful deer in its native homeland was in 1994…How magnificent they looked grazing near the shore of the lake…one handsome male stood, seeming to look directly at me, proud and dignified,” Goodall wrote in the 2009 book. “I vividly remember visiting a herd of these deer on the Duke of Bedford’s estate in England, and hearing that they were highly endangered and came from China. That was in 1956…now, forty years later, I was looking at some of the progeny of those very deer.”
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