MILU DEER ADAPT TO NEW HOME IN TIANJIN

Conservation drive attracts species to return and thrive in Qilihai Wetland

A herd of milu deer is adapting to its ancestral home after being transported to Qilihai Wetland in Tianjin. The 58 deer arrived on March 19 after a 16-hour journey from Dafeng Milu Deer National Nature Reserve in Yancheng, Jiangsu province.

Milu deer, also known as Pere David's deer, are native to the Qilihai Wetland in Tianjin's Ninghe district.

The deer have inhabited the wetland for thousands of years, with archaeological findings in the area uncovering over 30 fossilized and semi-fossilized milu antlers, dating back between 3,000 and 4,000 years. However, in more recent years the wetland environment at Qilihai became degraded and the local milu population dwindled.