Population Status and Research Progress of Père David’s Deer (Elaphurus davidianus) in China
Population Status and Research Progress of Père David’s Deer (Elaphurus davidianus) in China
Huaisheng Zhang1, Pengfei Li2, Huajun Wen2, Guangming Tian1, Hui Chen1, Lu Zhang1 and Jianqiang Zhu1,*
ABSTRACT
The Milu has been called Père David’s deer (Elaphurus davidianus). It is a unique species in China, which has been extinct in China for nearly 200 years. In 1980, the Milu was reintroduced into China and has now become a first-class protected animal in the country. Moreover, research on the Milu has begun. After 30 years of breeding and development, the Milu population has formed stable captive or wild populations in Beijing, Dafeng, Shishou and Dongting Lake. It has become a typical example of the successful reintroduction of a species. Because of the precision of the information on the Milu in biology and population history, the research on Milu has developed rapidly in recent years. In this paper, the authors summarize the principal research work of 30 years on the population development, habitat, disease dynamics, and biological or genetic characteristics of Père David’s deer in detail, review the research status and progress and examine the trends in the development and direction of Milu research in China, which should provide a reference for the healthy development and protection of the Milu population.
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December 2019
Vol. 51, Iss. 6, Pages 1999-2399
