Translate:
1. Profile (Picture)
2. Tidbits
3. Status and Trends (IUCN Status, Countries Where
Currently Found, Population Estimates, History of Distribution, Threats and Reasons
for Decline)
4. Data on Biology and Ecology (Weight, Habitat, Age to Maturity, Gestation
Period, Birth Season, Birth Rate, Maximum Age, Diet, Behavior)
5. References
Pictures: Pere David's Deer #1 (15 Kb) and Pere David's Deer #2 (70 Kb) (Les Cerfs); Pere David's Deer #3 (66 Kb JPEG) (Czech Web Site)
The Pere David's deer weighs 150 - 200 kg (330 - 440 lb). Its original habitat is
thought to have been swampy, reed-covered marshlands. It is a grazer, eating mainly grass which it supplements with
water plants in the summer. Unlike most deer, the Pere David's deer likes water and swims
well.
The Pere David's deer originally occurred in northeastern and east-central China, but it apparently became extinct in the wild at
least 1000 years ago. Hunting is thought to have been the main reason for the original
decline of the wild Pere David's deer. It survived in parks, and in the 1800's a French
missionary and naturalist, Father ("Pere" in French) David, observed the animals
in the last remaining Chinese herd. Word of this aroused great interest in Europe, and
subsequent efforts resulted in a number of these animals being sent to Europe. The
remaining deer in China ultimately perished in the
early 1900's, mostly due to floods and the unrest during the Boxer Rebellion. In the late
1980's, a number of deer were returned to China and re-introduced to the wild in China's
Dafeng reserve. They have successfully reproduced.
*** Although the species is recovering from a very small population, it appears that it is not suffering from the serious genetic defects that can sometimes affect small populations.
2004: Occurs in China (re-introduced) (IUCN 2004).
[Note: Figures given are for wild populations only.]
The Pere David's deer originally occurred in northeastern and east-central China, but it apparently became extinct in the wild at least 1000 years ago. It survived in parks, and in the 1800's a French missionary and naturalist, Father ("Pere" in French) David, observed the animals in the last remaining Chinese herd. Word of this aroused great interest in Europe, and subsequent efforts resulted in a number of these animals being sent to Europe. The remaining deer in China ultimately perished in the early 1900's, mostly due to floods and the unrest during the Boxer Rebellion. As a result, all surviving animals descend from the captive deer sent to Europe. In the late 1980's, a number of deer were returned to China and re-introduced to the wild in China's Dafeng reserve. They have successfully reproduced.
Hunting is thought to have been the main reason for the original decline of the wild Pere David's deer.
The Pere David's deer weighs 150 - 200 kg (330 - 440 lb).
The Pere David's deer's original habitat is thought to have been swampy, reed-covered marshlands.
About 14 months.
About 9 months.
April or May.
1 or 2 fawns are born at a time.
At least 23 years (in captivity).
The Pere David's deer is a grazer, eating mainly grass which it supplements with water plants in the summer.
Unlike most deer, the Pere David's deer likes water and swims well.
Burton & Pearson 1987, Caughley & Gunn 1996, Curry-Lindahl 1972, Czech Web Site, Focus 1997c, Huffman 1999, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2003a, IUCN 2004, Les Cerfs, Nowak & Paradiso 1983, Oryx 1988d, WCMC/WWF 1997
Top of Page | Search This Site
Home | Rarest Mammals | Species Index | Species Groups Index | Country Index | Links
By: Paul Massicot; Last modified: May 30, 2005; © 1999 -
2005 Animal Info
