Asian Animals - Pere David's Deer

Pere David's Deer is a fascinating Asian animal that we hope you enjoy learning about. To jump to a specific section, use the quick jump below by clicking on the headings.

Sizes
Height to shoulder: Male: 4 feet
Female: smaller
Weight: Male: 540 pounds
Female: 300 pounds
Antlers: Male only: up to 2 1/2 feet long

Habitat and Habits
-only live in zoos
-only 600 worldwide
-no longer endangered
-males like to wallow in mud at edges of lakes and ponds
        -uses hooves to flick mud and grass onto it's back
-spends long periods standing in water to their shoulders in warm weather
-strong swimmers
-live in herds
-lifespan is 20 years
-Origins:
        -Chinese Emperors kept small herds in walled Imperial hunting
          parks just outside of Beijing - wild herds were extinct "for
          centuries" before,
-1865: herds were discovered by French Missionary Pere Armand
David in China
        -David and foreign diplomats sent some of the deer to many
         European zoos
-1920's: The European deer were the only ones that were surviving
        -were not breeding successfully
        -Duke of Beford collected 18 survivors together in one herd in a
         wildlife park in England.
        -1939: herd had grown to over 250
        -WW2: herds transferred to England's Whipsnade Zoo
         reduced risk of extinction by bombs/disease
        -since then, calves have been sent to zoos around the world

Food and Feeding
-are grazers
-eat mainly grass
-also leaves, tender shoots and in the summer, green water plants

Links for More Information
-Pere David Deer
-Tallinn Zoo : Pere David Deer