Père David’s Deer

Père David's deer

Père David’s deer, (Elaphurus davidianus), large, rare Asian deer in the family Cervidae (order Artiodactyla). The only member of its genus, it is unknown in nature within historical times. Presumably native to northern China, it is now found only in zoos, private animal collections, and game reserves.

The deer is about 1.1 metres (43 inches) tall at the shoulder and is characterized by heavy legs, broad hooves, relatively small ears, and a long, bushy tail. The coat is reddish brown in summer and uniformly grayish brown in winter. The male has long antlers that fork shortly above the base, the front prong branching once and the rear prong extending backward, unbranched.

The only known population of this deer in the 19th century was the herd kept for the emperor of China in a game park near Beijing. Observations of the deer were made in 1865 by a French missionary, Armand David, and specimens were classified the following year by the French naturalist Henri Milne-Edwards. From 1869 to 1890 several Père David’s deer were brought to European zoos. Most of the Chinese herd died in a flood in 1895, and the remaining deer were killed during the Boxer Rebellion (1900). A breeding population was then established at Woburn Abbey in England under the care of the duke of Bedford. The deer bred well in captivity and now survive in zoos and game parks around the world. For example, 20 animals were reintroduced to China in 1985, and after some two decades the population had grown to 2,000.