Deer fawn, once extinct in the wild, has been born at Longleat
The Wiltshire safari park is celebrating the birth of a rare deer
Last updated 14th Apr 2021
Pere David’s deer are originally from China and at one time there were only 18 left in the world.
Now thanks to an international captive breeding programme one has been born at Longleat.
Staff say the week-old fawn is doing well.
Keeper Ian Turner said.
"Pere David’s deer is a prime example of the importance of captive breeding programmes run by zoos and safari parks - without which it would almost certainly have become extinct."
HOW DID IT GET ITS NAME?
The species is named after the French Jesuit missionary and naturalist, Père Armand David who first spotted it in 1865 in the grounds of an Imperial Park near Beijing.
In 1986, 39 Père David's deer, including four bred at Longleat, were released in a reserve near Beijing, close to where they had been discovered more than a century earlier.
Today there are more than 2,000 in the wild in China and an estimated 8,000 deer worldwide, making it one of the most successful reintroduction programmes ever.
The Père David’s has a long horse-like face, a long tail and wide spreading hooves like a cow which is uses for swimming.