Rare animals released into the wild
Print Edition
China yesterday released 47 rare milu deer into the wild in the wetland around Poyang Lake to improve biodiversity and protect the ecosystem of the country’s largest freshwater lake.
This was the first release of milu deer into the wild in region in east China’s Jiangxi Province where the species disappeared around 1,000 years ago.
Milu deer is a flagship species of the wetland ecosystem and releasing them into the wild will help improve biodiversity and protect wetland environment, said Zhang Xiwu, deputy head of China Wildlife Conservation Association.
The released deer weigh up to 200 kilograms and range from newborns to 10-year-olds. Each has ID microchips implanted and some have GPS collars to allow researchers to trace their migratory routes and habits.
“We can offer timely help in case they have difficulty adapting to the environment,” said Bai Jiade, director of Beijing Milu Ecological Research Center.
The center placed 10 milu deer in the Poyang Lake National Wetland Park in 2013 to conduct a five-year adaptability test to see if the deer could live and reproduce there. “Their numbers increased to 21 and this showed that the wetland was a suitable environment for the survival and reproduction of the species and has met the conditions for the release into the wild,” said Bai.
More milu deer will be released into the wild in the region each year for the next five to 10 years to help establish a wild self-sustaining population, said Yang Qibo, head of the Poyang County Wildlife Protection Station.
Milu is a species endemic to China, but overhunting and habitat loss led to its near extinction in the early 20th century. It was named after Armand David, a French missionary and naturalist who first recorded the existence of the deer in China in 1865.
In 1986, the British government gifted 39 milu deer to Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve in east China’s Jiangsu Province, starting the revival of the population in its homeland.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
